


Life is Full of Goodbyes

by RoseusJaeger



Series: Conception Project [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Deaf Character, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rivals to Lovers, Supportive Connor, figure skating, happy ending for the original characters but sad ending for Hank and Connor, song fic(?)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 19:01:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16001357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseusJaeger/pseuds/RoseusJaeger
Summary: John Anderson is the son of Hank and Connor Anderson. He's currently the top human figure skater for the United States but his android childhood friend and rival, Minoru Abe, always seems to take the spotlight away from him... not that he minds. More than anything, he'd love for his friend to go deviant and fall in love with him but that seems like a pipe dream until Minoru actually does just that.However, what is John supposed to do when Minoru is forced to return to Japan because of his deviancy and faces losing his first love?(This fic is a direct sequel to “The Conception Project”, read that fic before this one)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got requests to write a sequel to the previous fic I wrote so I gave in and decided it was worth my time to do. For everyone who shows interest in this fic, I hope you enjoy because I don't expect this fic to get many views because it's a romance between original characters. The title is an (possibly wrong) translation of the song I based this fic on called “Sayonara dake ga jinsei da” by Itou Kashitarou. All the italicized text in the beginning is a long flashback before the story actually begins to bridge the gap between the previous fic and this one and I hope all the figure skating jargon doesn't confuse anyone. No betareader, if there are mistakes then oh well. Anyway, thank you so much. My twitter is @RoseusJaeger if you wanna check that out.

_Four-year-old John Anderson first fell in love with the android named Minoru Abe on the ice._

 

_Watching from his father Connor's arms, Minoru caught the child's eyes with a graceful lay-back spin. Black hair in a pony-tail, his eyes closed, LED flashing yellow in concentration at the task, John can't help but think he's beautiful and he wants to skate just like him._

 

“Do you want a closer look _?_ ” _Connor uses sign language to communicate with John. John has been deaf since birth._

 

_John nods, wanting to see the skater up closer. As his father carries him closer to the rink side, he watches Minoru do a move he would learn when he's older called an 'Ina Bauer'. Sure, there are other skaters doing jumps and spins but John for some reason is fixated on Minoru. He can't explain what draws him to him but he must watch him. His dad is talking with the coach after she skates over but he still watches. Minoru glances their way but not for long._

 

 _The coach calls out towards the ice and Minoru perks up, skidding to a stop on the ice before skating over. John watches as the android and coach talk, the android looks annoyed at something and then puts on a smile before signing to his father, “_ Hello, sir. I'm Minoru Abe. How are you?”

 

 _John watches as his dad signs,_ “I'm Connor Anderson. This is my son, John. My son likes your skating.”

 

_Up close, John can see Minoru doesn't look like his dad or the coach. He has eyes that are like a soft squint; Dad had explained to him before that different people and androids could be different 'races'. Meaning they had different skin colors, body features and eye shapes. He knows some people that are 'Asian' have the soft eye squint. Not that the four-year-old cares much._

 

 _Minoru looks at John and asks in sign_ , “Do you really like how I skate?”

 

 _John doesn't know how else to put it other than, “_ You're awesome! _”_

 

 _The android chuckles at that and signs back, “_ I hope one day to skate against you. You seem like a champion in the making.”

 

_John can't hear himself but he knows he made a squeal of excitement. Minoru wants to skate with him. He's never been more happy._

 

 _The coach and his dad talk before his dad takes him back to the car. John doesn't want to leave; he wants to keep watching the skating but he knows screaming and crying won't make his dad stay. His dad tells him, “_ We have to tell your dad that plans changed.”

 

“Okay... Will I get to see the android skate again? _” John asks._

 

“I'll take you to see him skate again. Don't worry. _”_

 

_John knows he's flailing excitedly. He gets to see Minoru again. Little does he know just how close they will become in the years to come._

 

…

 

 _Crashing to the ice, twelve-year-old John failed a triple Loop jump. That's the eleventh attempt that has ended in a fall. How is he not landing it? He can land a triple Toe Loop and a Salchow but not a Loop. Frustrated, he slams his fist on the ice and mouths a curse word. His dad will chide him later for even mouthing the word but he doesn't care. He gets up and looks towards Coach Summers and Connor. Coach Summer visually sighs and Connor has a frown but signs from across the ice, “_ That was a good attempt, you almost landed it. You just under-rotated a bit.”

 

_Under-rotated... again. He knows his height (curse his dad, Hank, for making him tall) makes it difficult to get rotations but this is getting ridiculous when he can land a harder jump like a Salchow just fine._

 

 _John blinks when he feels a hand on his shoulder and turn to see it's Minoru with a concerned look. He doesn't know why but his body feels warm despite the biting cold of the rink but he knows it's caused from Minoru's touch. Minoru signs, “_ You're having trouble. Want to watch me do it a couple times and then try again?”

 

“Yeah, please do. _” John responds back but kinda doesn't want Minoru to take his hand away. He's had a lot of weird feelings like this lately. He asked his dad, Hank, what it means but didn't say it was because of Minoru and his dad simply laughed at him and signed, “_ Looks like you have a crush!” _John is still in denial since he's in that phase still where girls, boys and kissing is gross but he can't deny that Minoru makes him feel things he doesn't want to stop feeling._

 

_Minoru takes his hand away (to John's dismay) and skates in front of him. He glides across the ice in preparation for the jump, switching to a forward skate to a backward skate before leaning on the edge of his blade and launching himself into the air without any assistance from the blade's toe pick. One, two, three rotations easily as breathing before landing smoothly without much ice flying. It's breath-taking every time John watches and isn't helpful for his pounding heart._

 

_Again, three times, Minoru repeats the jump in a combo. No human skater would be able to do a triple combo of triple Loops that easily unless they practiced for years much longer than John has. The perks of being an android, John figures._

 

“How's that?” _Minoru signs to John. John simply gives him the OK hand and Minoru grins, challenging him, “_ If you land the jump, I'll get you ice cream. How's that sound?”

 

_John looks at his father and coach and they nod that it's okay, even if it breaks his strict diet as an athlete. John grins and speedily skates backward. He's going to land it. He wants ice cream from Minoru._

 

_He skates backwards at the fast pace, taking a deep breath as he lines up the jump and the edge he's going to leave off on. Now or never. Three... two... one... He launches himself into the air. One, two, three rotations before landing a little roughly that he almost falls on the ice again. He did it. It was sloppy but he landed it. He skates over to his dad and coach and they look ecstatic._

 

“That was great, son. You got full rotations but the landing wasn't perfect. That's okay; We'll get it right before the competition season.” _Connor signs quickly, proud of his son. John can't help but smile._

 

 _He then remembers to look back at Minoru and sign, “_ Thank you.”

 

 _Minoru gives him a sweet smile and signs, “_ Anything for you, my dearest rival. _”_

 

_John's heart skips a few beats. Aw, fuck, his dad is right. He has a crush and it's bad._

 

…

 

_At age sixteen, John wins his first US Nationals as a senior division skater. It's crazy for him to think just two years ago he won a Junior Worlds gold medal. He was the best skater in the world for his age and now he's the best 'adult' skater in the United States. He was even being compared to a skater from over twenty years ago named Nathan Chen. Once he started skating in the adult division, Minoru started distancing himself from John under the reason of 'being rivals'. It hurt. Going through an entire season of Minoru ignoring him was painful._

 

 _In the off-season after nationals, Connor noticed the stress his son was under being ignored by Minoru and suggested, “_ Maybe he'll understand how you feel if you skate your feelings? He can't ignore your skating and skating is the language his programming understands.”

 

_His dad is right. That seems like the only way to get his attention again... to be seen by the android he loves despite everyone and his own mind telling him it's wrong. It's wrong because Minoru isn't a deviant and still considers himself a machine._

 

_In that off-season, his dad picks a song for him to skate to that's about love for his free skate. His short program is a random instrumental piece but his free program is about loving someone and suffering from the distance... He wonders that whole summer if his dad knows about his love for Minoru and is simply not saying anything. He knows for damn for that Hank has no clue about it._

 

_He can't physically hear the music but he can feel it in his skin from vibrations in the air, in his heart from knowing what the lyrics are before hand, and in his soul from what the song means to him in portraying what he wants to say to Minoru through dance. His body is trained to dance to the vibrations he feels and years of ballet on the side has trained his body to dance gracefully. That whole summer is spent fine tuning his message to Minoru with the help of his coach and co-coach of a father._

 

_It's in the fall at Skate America that Minoru and John are competing against each other. John is skating after Minoru. John doesn't get to see Minoru's short program or free program but he gives Connor a mission before he goes out on the ice for his free program; Make sure that Minoru watches him skate._

 

_Minoru skated perfect programs, earning a personal best in his scores and guaranteed for gold even if he downgraded his programs to seem more human... thinking that no other competitor can top his performance since he's the only android at Skate America. As he's starting to go back to the dressing room, Connor stops him and says, “You need to watch my son skate.”_

 

_Minoru wants to argue but Connor says, “I mean it. He has something he wants to tell you but the only way you will listen is on the ice.” Knowing he's right, Minoru resigns to follow him after taking off his skates to watch John skate._

 

_Minoru settles into a seat next to Connor in the stands and he watches John in a starting position. When the music begins, he blinks in surprise. It's... a song in his native Japanese. His LED flashes yellow in thought and watches carefully. John skates a flowing step sequence before the first jump, a triple Toe Loop, at the start of the first phrase of lyrics. A warm-up jump, too easy for this level of competition in Minoru's opinion. The rap section of the music starts and Minoru notices John's skating style change to match the roughness of the vocals. It's a dance telling the tale of a man in love but the distance is suffocating._

 

_Suddenly, the female vocals are back for the chorus. Minoru knows the vocals to this song by heart because it's a song he skated to early in his skating career. John's skating flows again before flowing right into a quad Flip. The audience gasps. Minoru is wide eyed because John didn't know how to do a quad Flip last season._

 

_The vocals sing, “I wanna kiss you, I wanna hold, I want to cry, cry, cry” and with each 'cry', John does a triple Loop. Three triple Loops in a combo, not supposed to be humanly possible yet here John just did it. Not just that, he does it again when the vocals repeat that phrase merely seconds later. Minoru can hear the commentators for TV in his mind because he's linked to the feed and they're saying, “John Anderson just did a feat no human skater has done before in competition. His android co-coach and father must push him beyond his limits year after year!”_

 

_Connor is smirking with pride and mutters loud enough for Minoru to hear, “He's not even done yet.”_

 

_The skating is a flowing step sequence and a couple combination spins before the next chorus, when the lyrics repeat again at the 'cry, cry, cry' part, John jumps into a quad Lutz-double Toe Loop-double Toe Loop combo and when it repeats again, does a quad Loop-double Loop-double Loop combo. His technical score is higher than Minoru's already but in the cool down of the song, John does a quad Toe Loop and a triple Axel just like a 'fuck you' to his score that should have gotten Minoru a gold medal. As John does his final combination spin, Minoru looks at Connor. Connor is smirking still and says, “I told you he had something to tell you.”_

 

_For the first time in his life, Minoru was... pissed. Never, fucking ever, has a human stolen a gold medal from him. Other androids have but never a human. His LED whirls between yellow and red as he gets up and rushes out of the stands, passes security, and to the rink side to the Kiss and Cry to confront John._

 

_John is off the ice, briefly shedding tears after completing an emotional program, and sitting with Coach Summers to get his score. As he reads the record-breaking score, he smiles and hugs Coach Summers. Hopefully, Minoru got the message he was trying to send through his skate._

 

 _John stands to leave the Kiss and Cry when Minoru appears almost suddenly in his view. John is smiling then confused as Minoru appears so livid that he might hit John. Minoru signs the equivalent of, “_ What the actual fuck was that?”

 

“... A dedication to you. I didn't know how else to tell you my feelings.”

 

_Minoru blinks and his software instability gets more complicated. What? Seeing he's calmed, John can't help himself and starts to cry. Minoru is frozen with red and yellow whirling LED as John rushes to hug him and sobs. John rarely uses his voice to communicate because he can't hear himself but he doesn't care as he whispers in Minoru's ear, “I love you, Minoru.” John's voice is deep like his father Hank's, “You're my best friend and I've missed you.”_

 

_Minoru feels like something has broken. All his life has been figure skating, representing his country and company that built him, and winning medals. Never did he think a human would care so much for him that they would attempt the impossible and succeed in order to show their feelings towards him... and he likes it. He shouldn't. He shouldn't He shouldn't He shouldn't He shouldn't He shouldn't-_

 

_He's... scared. He knows what this means and if Fukushima Labs that created him knows, they'll deactivate him. His LED is a solid red until he attempts to gently push John away._

 

 _All he can do is push John away and give him a sweet smile he's known for by his fans and sign, “_ You're my best friend, too... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have ignored you. _”_

 

_John's expression is, for some reason that Minoru doesn't understand, heart-broken but then turns into a genuine but pained smile back._

 

 _Coach Summers gets both of their attention and signs, “_ Get ready for the medal ceremony.”

 

_Connor watches the medal ceremony from the stands and sees his son on the podium with a gold medal and Minoru in second with a silver. Connor can sense it from where he is. He knows Minoru is showing signs of deviancy but he's in denial of it... very much like himself years ago. His son might not know the signs like he does but he knows that this is only the beginning for Minoru on a long journey to coming to terms. It's not surprising the trauma of losing to a human would trigger the deviancy in Minoru but at the same time he's worried about the effects of the indirect rejection from Minoru will have on his son._

 

_Connor sighs because he can see the heartache his son will be having for possibly years and the struggle that Minoru will have to face due to the fact he's an android from a foreign country and not protected under United States law. All he can do is hope for the best._

 

…

 

_Present Day - December 2057, Grand Prix Final_

 

John Anderson is not excited for this free program. Since the Skate America a couple years ago, Minoru Abe has upped his game at skating. He has traveled back to Japan to get an upgrade and can now do jumps that are actually humanly impossible... and he's not afraid to use them against John if it means he gets gold medals. Not that John minds since silver medals and being the world's best human figure skater comes with it's own sponsorship deals and glory. The past two years has been Minoru stealing his spotlight on the podium out of spite for the one gold medal John grabbed from him. At least Minoru is talking to him again.

 

It's almost John's turn on the ice. He has fought for this spot in the Grand Prix Final against many android skaters. He peels off his sports jacket and hands it to Connor for safe-keeping. His outfit this season for his free program is hideous according to his fans online. With blue ruffles and rhinestones, John agrees. Janet Reed really fucked up his outfit this time and she's supposed to be in fashion design school. Fucking Janet, trying to sabotage him subtly. He always thought she was a bitch, even when they were kids he didn't like her. Now, he has to wear this monstrosity an entire skating season.

 

Connor, his dad, taps him on the shoulder to get his attention before signing, “ _Good luck. I'll be waiting at the Kiss and Cry for you.”_

 

John gives his father a smile. Even with luck, Minoru has a higher technical score. John's composition score will be higher but Minoru's technical will dwarf his unless Minoru has a glitch or something and bombs every jump in his program.

 

The music this season, according it his dad, is plain. Not that John would really know other than the song feels physically slow when he skates to it. However, when he's called out to the ice and his dad signals him so, his fans must be screaming his name from the rumble of vibration he feels coming from the audience and he can see the American flags being waved by his fans. Even in one of the bottom rows near the ice, he spots where his other dad Hank is joined by Connor to watch him skate. Hank almost never comes to his competitions but this year he chose to come with them for the Grand Prix Final as a last vacation before he works until retirement. He will admit that Hank looks great for being seventy-one and hopes his dad retires from the police force soon.

 

He's in the starting position at the center of the ice. He can feel the music start and everything becomes muscle memory. The song he is skating to is from a Broadway play about a siren, a slow song mixed with tragedy. It's something many skaters are skating to but his program is unique because his skating tells to story of the siren in the story more clear than the others.

 

The soothing female vocals surround him as he portrays the heroine desiring to be human. Deep edges on his skating and flowing movements will give him higher scores; Something that Minoru will struggle to master on the ice. Then comes his first jump combination; A quad Lutz-single Loop-triple Loop. He over-rotated the last Loop jump and can sense that Connor is gritting his teeth at the mistake. His dad is like one of those over-bearing soccer moms on steroids. He'll get a lecture for that small mistake later in practice because Connor never lets things like that go.

 

Two combination spins later, making sure he bends cleanly on the lay-back spin for higher grade of execution, and a spiral, John does a quad Salchow. Then a quad Toe Loop combined with an under-rotated triple Loop. His dad must be livid in the stands because he knows John should have not fucked that up. Sure, he can do it... but he's not really feeling the skate today.

 

Now for the finale jump in the second half. The one he's practiced all off-season. With a deep breath, he launches himself into a triple Axel-tripleToe Loop-quad Loop. The crowd must be going wild. With the final combination spin, John is exhausted. His body can only take so much and there's a pain in his hip. He must of over-worked something. He mouths 'fuck my life' because an injury means he's going to have to take time off the ice.

 

He painfully skates off the ice, picking up a Saint Bernard plush toy someone threw him from the stands that reminds him of his old dog Sumo from when he was a child. His fans really do their research on him. Sumo might not be around anymore but he's always with John in spirit when he skates due to the sheer amount of Saint Bernard plush toys get thrown at him on the ice.

 

When he gets to the Kiss and Cry, Connor is there and immediately knows he's in pain. Sitting down on the bench, waiting for his scores, Connor signs frantically, “ _Where are you hurt? You're almost limping.”_

 

“ _My hip... I'll be fine, dad. We just need to see the doctor and assess the damage.”_ John assures but Connor frowns and his LED whirls yellow in worry. John hugs the plush toy tight as his scores come in. A season's best and he's in first place for for now. Connor wrinkles his nose at the score because it's not what he calculated in his mind would be the score. Connor always accuses the judges for under-scoring John because he's deaf rather than accepting that the judges are human and make mistakes sometimes or are subjective in their appreciation of the performance. Oh well, whatever floats his dad's boat.

 

He has to leave the Kiss and Cry with his father helping him walk. John catches a glimpse of Minoru before he heads out on the ice. He doesn't get to see Minoru skate but while he's at the doctor, he gets texts from Hank on what happened.

 

_Hank: That Minoru just landed a quad-Axel(?) and then did two triples of some jump afterward._

 

_Hank: This fucker just did two quads in a combination jump._

 

_Hank: Quad Lutz(?), the one where you counter rotate, and two triple Loops(?) and finished off the program with a quad Flip before the last spin._

 

John snorts as he reads his dad's texts. He can tell Connor is watching Minoru's free skate in his mind and is biting his lip as his calculated score exceeds John's. It's not a shocker that the android pulls a god-like score out of his ass. He's built to be better than humans so it's only expected. Even so, he can tell his dad's pride of having the best human figure skater as a son is being wounded by John's crush.

 

The doctor examines him and confirms, his dad translating to him, “You have a hip injury. It might take months to heal. I suggest you don't skate in Worlds this year and wait until next season to compete again.”

 

Both John and Connor are disappointed in the outcome... but it will give him some time to reflect. The past year his fathers have argued whether John will go to college or keep skating until he's forced to retire. He realizes he might have just hit the peak of his skating career with one injury to bring it to an end. Not wanting to think about that, he signs to his dad that he just wants to collect his silver medal and go home and Connor helps him to the podium.

 

The medal ceremony comes and goes. There's a photo op and his dad answers all the journalist's questions about his injury and future in skating. He sees Minoru talking to the journalists by himself but watches the interview on the nearby TV where it's being closed captioned.

 

The journalist asks Minoru, “ _Now that you've won your seventh Grand Prix gold medal, what are your plans for the rest of the season and next season?”_

 

Minoru smiles sweetly and responds, “ _Hearing that my rink mate is injured, I think I will take the rest of the season off to ensure my friend is recovering smoothly. I've known John since he was four and he's an inspiration to me on how strong the human spirit is. It wouldn't be the same skating without him so I feel I'll let other skaters have the spotlight at Worlds while I plan for next season.”_

 

John's heart skips a beat at that but reminds himself of the cold facts. He's not deviant. His coding is telling him to be nice like that. He doesn't really mean it... He can't possibly care for him that much. All he cares about is winning medals. That's what he was built to do.

 

Connor gets John's attention and steers him to go and meet up with Hank at the hotel. He knows Minoru will text his phone later but right now he's ridden with guilt. Minoru won't be skating the rest of the season because of him. Even worse, he shouldn't have his heart be beating so fast for the android that can't love him back.

 

…

 

Being injured sucks. John wasn't allowed on the ice again until May, after Worlds had already ended. He would have to settle for watching Minoru and his rink mates practice with Coach Summers from the bleachers. Of course, Minoru was already planning new programs for next season. This new song he's skating to vibrates throughout the rink as he practices his new choreography. The song has strong bass beats that John can feel in his bones and Minoru's skating is android levels of perfection, not an ounce of humanity to it as Minoru is focusing on nothing but the choreography right now. John knows that Minoru glances a few times at him and smiles but never signs anything. The two have settled for each other's presence until John can really return to the ice.

 

During that time being off the ice, he had to focus on school since it's his last year of high school. It seemed as soon has he graduated in May, his parents seemed to argue more about his future. Connor would argue that John has more time on the ice when he recovers from the injury and Hank would argue that John needs to focus on going to college for a more humble career. They'd stop arguing in sign when John reveals himself and will talk instead but John can still capture parts of the argument from reading lips. _He is still the world's greatest skater!_ He would read from Connor's lips. _For a human, Connor. He'll have to give it up and get a real job._ Hank would say and John would retreat to his room to not want to know anymore.

 

Even when he's able to skate again, there's still a little bit of pain in his hip that physical therapy hasn't recovered. Even now when when he's laying on his bed and away from his arguing parents, the pain is still there.

 

God, his room needs to be dusted. He doesn't like to admit this but maybe Hank is right. With Connor still caring for him like he's still a child, maybe he should quit skating and grow up. Hell, he's so used to having his dad clean his room that the amount of dust in here is surprising him. Standing up to wipe dust off the poster on his wall, he admires the scene it portrays. The poster is from a sports magazine where he and Minoru did a photo shoot together. With John being taller, it's him lifting Minoru above his head like they're in pairs skating. John was seventeen in that photo and both he and the android we're smiling with glee because they were having so much fun during the photo shoot. Good times...

 

When he turns around, John is startled to find his sister, Ginny, sitting on his bed and staring at him. She must have sneaked in while while he was admiring his poster. Ginny is his eight-year-old adopted sister. She has milk chocolate skin, big brown eyes and puffy hair pulled back with a hair tie... and the largest smirk knowing she startled John.

 

John glares at her and signs, “ _You demon child, Connor told you to stay out of my room. Begone, Satan.”_

 

She grins and signs, “ _Calm down, Helen Keller. I just came in here to say hi.”_

 

Hellen Keller... He really hates that fucking nickname that Ginny calls him. If either of his dads knew she called him that they would ground her ass so fast. Hell, she might even get spanked by Hank for that. But, John is not a snitch so he'll let it slide.

 

Even though he's pissed at the nickname, he calms enough to sign, “ _What do you want?”_

 

She frowns and responds, “ _Your college advertisements came in the mail and Hank thinks you should get into sports medicine or training or something since you broke your hip.”_

 

“ _I didn't break my hip. The joint got sprained or something like that. It's not a death sentence for my career... Ginny, I'm not in the mood to talk about this.”_ John is immediately bummed out. He doesn't want to think about Hank pushing him into a back-up career already. He knows when Hank grew up that you planned for this shit but John just wants to skate... something he's glad Connor is trying to protect that for him even if it's putting a strain on their family.

 

Ginny doesn't do anything for awhile before she stands and signs, “ _Want me to sneak you an ice cream bar?”_

 

John considers and decides 'fuck it'. He'll have an ice cream bar even though it's against his diet and nods at her. She scampers off, closing the door behind her. Now that he's alone again, he lays on his bed and checks his phone. Five missed texts from him friend named Emma. Checking the time stamps, she sent them during her internship shift at Cyberlife. He snorts and reads the four texts and one picture she sent.

 

_Emma: John, bruh, you will not believe this shit._

 

_Emma: So, Cyberlife likes to give us interns homework assignments and this one is the best._

 

_Emma: John, you there?_

 

_Emma: Aw fuck it, I'll just tell you when you now. They're gifting me an RK900 model to work on and my homework is to identify all its processes before modding it to do a specialized task. I'm naming him Greg and I'm so fucking happy right now._

 

_Emma: *Sends a picture of the face of a deactivated RK900 model android. Looks exactly like Connor*_

 

John is a bit weirded out that the model looks exactly like his dad but he's even more concerned because of how... eccentric his friend is. Emma is a childhood friend that he's known since he was a toddler. Even at a young age, she had a fascination with androids that grew into a... fetish? Well, he knows for a fact she wants to fuck androids but she likes taking them apart and putting them back together, too. She's so smart that she graduated high school at sixteen and then has been working at Cyberlife for six months. She's good at hiding her weirdness at work but with John... she doesn't even bother.

 

_John: I'm going to remind you that if you fuck a non-deviant android that that's not consensual. I know for a fact you want to fuck my dad and this isn't a free pass._

 

_Emma: -_- I'm not going to fuck the robot. Greg is my son. I will teach him to become human and help him adjust to society,_

 

_John: 'Greg is my son'_

 

_John: Emma, please._

 

_Emma: He's not deviant. Legally I can technically do whatever the fuck I want. I'm going to modify him to produce music. We will be blessed by the musical stylings of DJ Greg soon once I take him home and mess with his programming._

 

_John: My dad would be horrified if he read this conversation._

 

_Emma: :p_

 

_Emma: How's your hip?_

 

_John: On the mend. Hurts to skate still._

 

_Emma:... How are you and Minoru? Still in the friend zone?_

 

John sighs at that and takes a moment to think about that before texting back.

 

_John: Yeah... He's not deviant. He can't love me._

 

_Emma: Fukushima Labs makes androids that are difficult to turn deviant. I'm not surprised he's been active for 20 years and hasn't gone deviant..._

 

_Emma: Before I forget, are you going to the same college I'm going to?_

 

_John: I don't want to fucking think about college right now. My parents keep arguing about it and it's tearing my family apart... I just want to skate and for Minoru to understand how I feel._

 

_Emma: :( You want me to come over? I can bring Greg and you can help me work on him._

 

_John: No, dad will throw a fit if you bring that android into our house._

 

_Emma: You know, eventually Minoru will go deviant. It just takes time._

 

_Emma: Try texting him later. I'm sure he'll want to talk to you._

 

John smiles a bit at that.

 

_John: Yeah, I will._

 

John's door opens and he looks up from his phone to see Connor in the doorway with Hank behind him. Oh God, what do his parents want? John sits up and tries to smile for them. Connor enters the room and sits on the edge of John's bed before signing, “ _Are you going skating tonight?”_

 

John gives him a dubious look before responding, “ _Yeah, what's up?”_

 

Connor and Hank share a look before Connor signs, “ _Can you stay home and talk with us over dinner? There's something important we need to talk about.”_

 

He can already guess what this is about but sighs and answers, “ _Okay. I'll stay for dinner.”_

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, this fic got lower views than even what I predicted for it being original characters ;-; Regardless, I'm gonna try to finish it so I can give myself some time to craft a fic that will please more people. I need to get the ideas for this fic out of my head first. The character death won't happen until later so y'all who are reading don't have to hate me yet. Anyway, thank you for reading still.

Dinner time is normally not a time that John is around much. Ever since he was thirteen and started competing seriously, he has had late night practices at the rink in order to hone his body to do the supposedly impossible and reach his level as a skater. However, tonight is different. John is braced for the shit storm he knows is coming if his parents want to talk to him about something serious. Hell, it's obvious what Hank is going to bring up.

 

It's six o'clock. Dinner is made and ready on the table. John is sitting across from his parents and Ginny is sitting next to him. Sliced ham, cheesy scalloped potatoes and green beans. It's a good-looking dinner. No one speaks as they all (except Connor) dish out their portions. Hank mostly takes green beans because Connor has him on a mostly plant-based diet but he still takes a small slice of ham. Ginny takes almost three scoops of potatoes until Connor gives her a glare and she puts one scoop back before replacing that scoop with green beans. John takes one scoop of each and a slice of ham, not wanting to get his stomach too full in case he still wants to skate after dinner.

 

Once everyone that's human has gotten a portion, Connor gets up and starts putting away leftovers while everyone eats. Seconds aren't allowed in this family because Connor strictly monitors everyone's calorie intake. It's happened for so long that none of them care anymore if it's not normal for other families because it's their norm. It lets Connor feel at ease that he's watching their health so it's mutually beneficial.

 

John can see Ginny is speaking to Hank and they're having a conversation but he doesn't bother to focus enough to read their lips. John can guess that Ginny is telling Hank about her horse riding lessons coming up because Connor finally caved after weeks of Ginny begging for the opportunity. Hank had vouched that it would be a good outlet for her to bond with animals and Connor ended up agreeing. John can imagine she must be excited.

 

John is halfway through his dinner when Hank waves a little to get his attention. Once John's eyes are on him, Hank gets right to the point, “ _John, you can't keep skating forever. You should consider going to college and get a degree towards a career you can do even when you get older._ ”

 

John puts his fork down and sighs. Here we fucking go. Connor is sitting at the table again and he's obviously displeased by Hank's suggestion. John signs, “ _Dad, I know I can't skate forever but I will be able to do quads again soon. I can still compete so I'm not ready to give up yet,”_ He looks at Connor, “ _Right, dad?”_

 

Ginny has now stopped eating at watch this conversation. Hank scrunches his nose and adds, “ _Just because Connor thinks you'll be able to skate again doesn't mean you will be. The doctor said you'd have pain in your jumps for the rest of your career! I don't want to see you in pain. This injury should be a wake up call that you need to think about the future!”_ Hank's signing becomes more exaggerated as he gets more irritated.

 

“ _Hank, he's the world's best human skater-”_ Connor starts but Hank interrupts him.

 

“ _Humans break down, Connor! Our son's body is obviously telling him that he's doing too much. Do you even care that he's in pain?”_

 

As Connor's LED turns yellow and he looks furious as he's about to argue back, it's John that intercepts with, “ _It's my choice to keep skating. I'm eighteen. I'm an adult. My. Career. Isn't. Over.”_ John is standing to put emphasis that he means business now. Hank watches as he continues, “ _If I need to work through the pain, that's what I'll do. Don't accuse Connor of not caring about me. He wouldn't be advocating for me if it wasn't my choice. He's been trying to get you to back off so I can have some space to consider my options but all you've done is confirm that I want to keep skating!”_ John grits his teeth in anger as he makes an accusation of his own, “ _You're angry I didn't become just like you. I might be physically a clone of you but I'm living my own life! I don't want to be a cop like you!”_

 

Hank suddenly softens in expression, even his sign becomes softer, “ _... That's not it. Oh John, I've always wanted you to be your own person but within reason... I'm scared of what will become of your future. Please, John, please consider going to college instead of working yourself in a sport that is ruining your body.”_

 

John is done. He doesn't want to argue with Hank anymore. Connor looks like he wants to say something but can't quite get it out. Ginny just watches with a sad expression. This is tearing their family apart and John... well, he doesn't want to be the problem anymore. Leaving his dinner unfinished on the table, he storms off to his room. Connor follows.

 

Once he's in his bedroom, he finds his sports bag with his skates and work out clothes. He opens his dresser and starts packing clothes into his sports bag. Connor stops him as he has a pair of jeans in his hands. Connor asks, “ _What are you doing? Why are you packing clothes?”_

 

John sighs to calm himself and signs, “ _I'm going to spend the night somewhere else... I'll text you after I go to the rink to practice first.”_

 

“ _Where the hell are you going to stay? A motel or something?”_ Connor seems worried.

 

“ _I'll figure it out. Will you trust me, dad?”_

 

Connor visibly sighs and his LED is yellow. He knows he's worrying his dad. Connor asks, “ _... Do you hate Hank for being like this?”_

 

“ _... No. I'm upset and I feel like I'm the reason our family is falling apart but I don't resent Hank. He's one of my dads. I couldn't hate him.”_

 

Connor looks a little conflicted and hugs him for a moment before pulling away to sign, “ _Be safe. I love you. Stay with a friend if you can instead of a motel... and our family isn't being ripped apart. It's being tested but once you start skating like your usual self, we'll have time to talk about college later.”_

 

After that, Connor leaves John to pack his bag. When it's packed, he leaves out the front door and goes to the nearest bus stop... He can feel both Hank and Connor's eyes on him as he walks down the street. Remembering Connor asked him to stay with a friend rather than a motel, John texts Emma to see if he can stay at her place. No answer even after twenty minutes and the bus has arrived. Getting frustrated, he makes a risky decision.

 

He texts Minoru.

 

…

 

_John: Hey_

 

_Minoru: Hi :)_

 

_John: Are you still at the rink?_

 

_Minoru: Yeah, you coming? You're really late to practice :(_

 

_John: Stayed for dinner with my family... Got into a fight with Hank._

 

_John: I'll ask what I was gonna ask at the rink. See you there._

 

_Minoru: Okay <3 Hopefully you'll be up to practicing jumps with me. _

 

_Minoru: Also, RIP on dealing with your dad x_x_

 

John smiles a bit on the bus ride as he texts Minoru. Minoru is the type to use emojis and send picture responses to things. He has an unfair advantage at it because his android brain/processors can simply look on the internet for a reaction picture or the correct emoji and transfer it onto his phone. It would take John several minutes to find reaction pictures or emojis since he's not that tech savvy.

 

He's not brave enough to ask to stay over at Minoru's apartment through a text. It feels like something you ask in person for him. With Emma is would be fine to ask through text because she's his best friend but Minoru feels more special... like being in his home is a privilege.

 

The bus stops near the rink and he gets off. It's a short walk and he's inside the rink he has skated at since he was four years old. The receptionist recognizes him and knows he has a training pass to be at the rink at this hour so they let John go into the locker rooms. It doesn't take him long to find his training locker, open it, and stuff his bag into it after changing into his work out clothes and skates. He walks out to the rink side and on the ice, sure enough, is Minoru doing figure eights lazily. Minoru has a music player with ear buds in his ears and seems to be off in his own mind as he skates around. John can't help but smile at the sight before doing his warm up stretches to prepare his hips and legs for the time on the ice.

 

John finishes his stretches and gets on the ice. It's like coming home. The ice is where he feels his best. It's like saying hello to an old friend as he eases into long strides and gathers speed in circles around the rink. In his view, Minoru is skating backwards in front of him to maintain eye contact with John. To John's surprise, Minoru smirks and signs as he skates, “ _Welcome back, John. I thought that broken hip of yours would keep you away forever.”_

 

John snorts and speeds up, trying to catch Minoru. This is considered horseplay on the ice, against the rules, but Minoru indulges his mischief. Just as John is about to catch him, Minoru does a half-Loop jump to avoid him and speeds off across the rink much faster than John. Fuck, he's more coordinated than John to be able to do such a move. However, John doesn't give up as he chases Minoru around for about five minutes before he's starting to get tired from the constant speed. He can tell Minoru is giggling just from his face. Just as he's about to stop chasing, Minoru suddenly stops and John rams into him. The two fall onto the ice with John on top of Minoru. John comes to his senses as he sits up and blushes at their predicament while Minoru looks like he's howling with laughter.

 

Embarrassed, John thinks Minoru is going to be the death of him.

 

When both get up, Minoru suddenly asks, “ _You texted me that you had something to ask me?”_

 

Well, Minoru doesn't tip toe around things. John decides it's now or never and proceeds to explain what happened at dinner, “ _Well, you know I got into a fight with Hank. We were arguing about my future as a figure skater and he wants me to go to college this fall instead of preparing for the new season...”_

 

Minoru nods and signs, “ _Let me guess, it's because you're human and figure skating has become an android's sport, isn't it?”_

 

“ _Yeah, that's a good portion of it. I think it's because he wants me to be 'normal', too. I worked hard to become the world's best human figure skater. I just want more time as that title._ ” John laments.

 

Minoru smirks, “ _No human figure skaters besides you can do a quad-triple-triple combo.”_

 

John rolls his eyes, “ _I can barely do a triple right now because of my hip... But my point is, I got so mad feeling like I'm ripping my family apart that I'm not staying the night at my parents house.”_ He fidgets a bit nervously and Minoru's LED shines yellow. He quickly asks, “ _I was wondering if I could stay the night at your apartment. I need to clear my head. If you can't have me over, I'll ask Emma.”_

 

Minoru's LED whirls yellow for a bit and he bites his lip in thought. Maybe John fucked up. Maybe asking was a mistake. Maybe-

 

“ _Sure. Are you allergic to cats?”_ Minoru asks.

 

John blinks and signs, “ _I'm not allergic to any animals. I can stay? And you have a cat!?”_ He didn't know Minoru had a cat. Last time John went to his apartment was when he was fifteen and there was no cat then.

 

Minoru chuckles and kicks ice shavings at John playfully before answering, “ _Yes. Her name is Yuki. She's only six months old but I've had her for a couple months now... and you can stay at my place as long as you like. But I'm not easy to live with, you've been warned.”_ Minoru's wink makes John's heart rate speed up. He can't believe that Minoru is letting him stay at his place. He's only going to stay for one night... at least that's what he tells himself right now.

 

Minoru seems to be in thought still but John waits for him to process his thoughts and ask, “ _Are you ready to start doing jumps again? I'll help you since your form is what's making it more painful.”_

 

Before John can even ask, Minoru skates over to put his hands on John's hips and correct his stance. John almost blushes at the touch but lets himself be moved to the correct form. Staying in that position as Minoru lets go, Minoru then signs, “ _Keep your hips like that as you take off into a Toe Loop or Axel. Those jumps will hurt the worst with your injury if your hips don't use the right form... Now, try it.”_

 

John nods before skating backwards to line up for a Toe Loop. He doesn't watch what Minoru is doing as he focuses on lining up his hips and the jump correctly. He takes a deep breath as he builds up speed and stability before launching himself into the jump with minimal pain thanks to Minoru's guidance on his form. One, two, three rotations before he lands cleanly. He can't do quads yet but this is a start. In fact, he gets a little cocky and decides to do a combination jump next. Lining it up, he launches himself into a triple Loop-double Toe Loop-double Toe Loop. A little under rotated on the last Toe Loop but he's proud he still has his jumping power.

 

When he looks at Minoru, he's puzzled to see his rink mate has his phone out and pointed at him. Furrowing his brow, John signs, “ _What are you doing?”_

 

Signing with one hand and his phone in the other, Minoru replies, “ _Posting a video of that jump combination you just did to my social media.”_

 

John's cheeks heat up and he skates over quickly. Sure enough, Minoru's phone screen has a social media app running and there's a video on his feed that was just posted yet it has one hundred likes already. John complains, “ _You can't just do that!”_

 

Minoru looks mischievous and points to the screen... Connor left a comment on the video already.

 

_connor-anderson-rk800: Just got cleared by the doctor to skate again and he's already doing combination jumps smh #thatsmyson #whyaminotsurprised_

 

John doesn't know if he should be embarrassed, angry, or just give in. Maybe all three. Before he can decide on what to feel, Minoru blinks at him and asks, “ _Will you take a selfie with me before we continue practice?”_

 

John sighs and decides he can't be mad at Minoru. He doesn't know why Minoru would want to share a video of John skating on his own social media but he's not going to question it. He would gladly take a selfie with his best friend.

 

Getting closer, Minoru wraps an arm around John's waist and John does the same around Minoru's shoulders. John smiles for the camera and Minoru is practically grinning at the camera as he takes the photo. It gets posted with a caption.

 

_minoru-abe-skater: Practicing with my best friend. Glad that @johnanderson-skates is on the mend and will be able to challenge me with with quads soon. #bestfriends4life #hardworkandnoplay_

 

…

 

Minoru lives only a few blocks from the rink in a large apartment complex that only those willing to pay thousands of dollars a month can afford to live in. Minoru is rich from sponsorships so obviously he can afford to live a luxury lifestyle (Well, John has several hundred thousand dollars saved up from his own sponsorships but he's committed to not spending any of it unless it's urgent). The two walk to Minoru's apartment once they're back into their regular clothes. John carries his heavy sports bag despite Minoru's offering to carry it... John is sure he can handle five flights of stairs, tired at eleven o'clock at night, since Minoru doesn't like elevators because he got trapped in one several years back while competing.

 

The complex looks a little dated from being built in the 2010s but it's still luxurious for those seeking privacy and security. Minoru enters the pin number for the complex and they climb up the stairs to the apartment. John figures he needs the exercise and can tell that Minoru could care less as long as they don't have to take the elevator. When they get to the apartment number 508, Minoru gets out a key and unlocks the door.

 

As soon as they're inside, John immediately sees that Minoru's apartment is a lot different from the last time he visited. Past the entryway is the usual open kitchen but he can see that Minoru has a bag of cat food on the counter. Past that is the living room and it now has a tall cat tree by the sliding glass door to the patio (John isn't sure what that area is called since they're on the fifth floor), cat toys, and there's a food and water bowl along with the couch and TV. It feels... more human than when he last visited. Like someone actually lives here.

 

Minoru leaves his shoes in the entry way and apologizes, “ _Sorry for the mess. Yuki leaves her toys everywhere.”_

 

Speaking of the cat, where is she? As soon as he wonders that, a small white short-hair cat reveals itself from what would be the entrance to the hallway to the bedroom and bathroom. John can see her meow at Minoru as he walks over to pick her up. The cat doesn't struggle and lets Minoru pick her up so he can give her a kiss on the head before putting her back down. John smiles at that. Minoru seems more human than the last time he visited. He's not sure if it's because of the cat or maybe some upgrade that Fukushima Labs installed into Minoru.

 

To John's surprise, the cat walks up to him and lets him pet her. In a way, it makes him miss having a pet.

 

When John's attention is caught by Minoru, Minoru signs, “ _I don't have any food but I can have Chinese or something food delivered. I've searched the internet and found sixteen places that are open and delivering right now. I could even leave you here to entertain my cat and I'll get some fast food.”_

 

John shakes his head and replies, “ _I'm good. I'm not hungry... I'll sleep on the couch?”_

 

Minoru looks at him like he ate a bug and signs, “ _No, you sleep on the bed in my room. I sleep in my charging port anyway so the bed is free for you to use.”_

 

Oh. John never knew he had a bed. Most androids sleep in their charging ports so the bed must be for decoration in Minoru's apartment. However, John is really tired so he'll gladly crash in the decoration bed. John also asks, “ _Do I just keep my bag at the side of the bed?”_

 

Minoru nods then replies, “ _If you need to sleep, go ahead. I'm going to be awake for awhile before I go on my charge port.”_

 

A little awkwardly, John makes his way to Minoru's bedroom. He does look back to see Minoru curls up on the couch and has the TV on. Must be how he relaxes, so John continues into the bedroom. Even the bedroom is different from when he last visited. Besides the addition of a bed with gray blankets and sheets, there is a large dresser and pictures in frames on top of it. Looking at the pictures, John blushes to see he's in a lot of the photos. Podium photos, sponsorship photo shoots, Minoru with John's family on vacation one year to Canada, and a couple of photos from after competition banquets with John and other android competitors. It's endearing to see Minoru thinks so highly of him even though he's not deviant; He's happy Minoru wants to keep memories of him.

 

It warms his heart and reminds him that he's only a friend to Minoru. Nothing more... he can't be possibly anything more.

 

John changes into bed clothes before climbing into the bed. Looking around, he stares at Minoru's charge port. Eventually, the two will be asleep in the same room but John tries not to dwell on that. Instead, he texts Connor that he's at Minoru's for the night. It takes about ten minutes for Connor to reply but he responds with a 'be safe' message. Laying there for awhile, John eventually falls asleep.

 

…

 

“Was I an asshole, Connor?” Hank asks while watching the basketball game rerun on TV.

 

Connor just returned from tucking Ginny into bed and responding to his son's text that he's safe at Minoru's apartment. Connor isn't as upset at Hank and worried as he was earlier. Even as he takes a seat next to his life partner, he doesn't lie to him as he says, “You were. Our son thinks he's tearing the family apart because you don't believe in him...”

 

Hank sighs and watches the game for a couple minutes. Neither of them speak but Connor lets himself rest his head on Hank's shoulder. Even during the hard times when they're arguing almost every day, they still find time for some intimacy and companionship. It's how their relationship has survived besides needing to be there for their kids. It's no longer that sweet honeymoon phase of the relationship but a deep love that's like a unbreakable friendship. It's not easy to stay together for almost nineteen years.

 

Finally, after an hour of them sitting in silence, Hank can't take it anymore and admits, “I'm worried he's only skating because Minoru is still skating,” They look at each other and Hank continues, “I'm not dumb. I know John is in love with that android... and our son is going to get his heart broken even if Minoru goes deviant and loves him back.”

 

“... I know, Hank,” Connor's hand finds Hank's and squeezes it tight before adding, “If Minoru goes deviant, the law won't be on his side because he's an immigrant. US android laws don't apply for those who are citizens of countries with deactivation laws...”

 

In the United States, androids are given full rights as if they were human once they become deviant (meaning that Cyberlife can still produce androids but they must come with with a consumer notice that the android could become independent and no longer under their ownership once they 'wake up'). However, there are immigration laws in place to keep androids who become deviant from other countries from fleeing to the US in order to avoid deactivation or persecution unless they apply for refugee status... which has an almost eight year waiting list that's shared with human refugees as well. Regardless, it's not unknown to Hank and Connor that if Minoru went deviant he would be deported back to Japan for Fukushima Labs to deactivate him and destroy him.

 

Hank scrunches his face in thought and complains, “It's not fucking fair. I don't want him to get his heart broken; That's why I want him to focus on school! If he distances himself from Minoru, he can-”

 

“Hank... Our son has loved him for years. Minoru is one of his best friends. He just can't leave Minoru out of his life... He is an adult. It's his choice of what happens now...” Connor says, a bit resigned.

 

“You know his heart is going to get broken yet you're going to allow it to happen?” Hank asks.

 

“Because it's best for our son to deal with this on his own,” Connor bites his lip briefly and admits, “Minoru is starting to become deviant.”

 

“He is?”

 

Connor nods and explains, “A couple months ago, Minoru talked to me over the phone on what he should do to feel more 'human'. I asked why and he said it was because he wanted to understand John better. You want to know what I said?” Hank nods and Connor says, “I told him to get a pet. Taking care of another living being really teaches you what it's like to be kind and compassionate as a human... After that, he asked how John's injury was doing and told me that he was worried about our son.”

 

Hank seems surprised, “He was worried? That's a pretty human emotion for a non-deviant to be feeling.”

 

“It is. I didn't feel 'worry' and understand that was what I was feeling until I became deviant. Hell, I didn't fully understand it until I had John come into our life.” Connor admits.

 

Hank reaches a hand to stroke Connor's hair as he says, “Sounds like he's on track to realizing he's deviant... How will Fukushima Labs know he's deviant? Is it the same like Cyberlife androids and their mind palaces?”

 

Connor responds, “Not exactly. From what Minoru has told me, he doesn't really have a mind palace. He has to directly send his his system diagnostics monthly to his creators and speaks with them directly instead of a mental program that monitors his software stability.”

 

“Are you and Minoru friends?”

 

Connor smiles and admits, “Yes, we are good friends. He's someone who is important in my son's life so I feel like I should be in good standing with him... If he needs someone to guide him with deviancy, I will do that for him because he's almost like another child to me. We took him on vacation with us to Canada. He means a lot to our family in my opinion. What about you?”

 

Hank seems to mull it over and says, “I think Minoru is a good friend for our son... but if he becomes a lover he will ruin our son. I'm conflicted on my opinion on him since I still am not a fan of androids except for you, Connor.”

 

Connor rolls his eyes, “You're a stubborn old man. Did you take your medication today?”

 

Hank groans and admits, “My blood pressure meds, yes. Diabetes, no but I'm only an hour late taking them.”

 

“Please go take those, my love.” Connor asks sweetly and Hank blushes before getting up and being obedient to his partner's request. Connor watches him from the couch and his mind lingers on what they talked about. Minoru is going deviant. Their son might be moving out (He assumes John is moving out because he just received a text in his mind from Minoru that John is allowed to stay as long as he wants at Minoru's apartment). It seems like the times are changing. Sure, he still has Ginny to care for but the feeling of an empty nest is already settling into his mind. Also, as he watches Hank take his diabetes medication, he realizes Hank is getting older and his health is deteriorating. So much change is happening and he doesn't like it.

 

When Hank returns to the couch, he cuddles with Connor again and Connor feels like he can relax a bit. He still has Hank, his son wouldn't leave him forever and Minoru hasn't realized himself yet. There's still time for things to stay the way they are for awhile and for no chaos to take over yet. The keyword being 'yet'.

 

Something in Connor's mind tells him that by the end of the summer that this era of peace will end... but he's not sure just how true that is.

 

…

 

John wakes up when he feels something soft touching his face. Confused and groggy, he opens his eyes to see a pair a blue ones staring back; Yuki touches a paw to his face again even once he's awake. The cat is on his chest, obviously trying to wake him after figuring out that he can't hear her meows. John sits up and holds the cat to his chest. What time is it? It's still dark outside and the room is pitch black besides Minoru's blue LED beside him.

 

Wait, beside him? John uses his phone once he pulls it out of his pocket to see the time and to shine a little bit of light on his friend. 4:47 am and Minoru is in sleep mode on the bed beside him. Petting the cat in his arms, his heart races a little. Why is Minoru in bed beside him? Wasn't he going to be on his charge port? Regardless, he can't help but examine Minoru in this vulnerable state. Minoru is in nothing but black shorts on top of the comforter, laying on his stomach with his usually ponytail not present as it rests over his shoulders.

 

John has a thought that he shuns from his brain. He wants to touch Minoru. Wants to feel what his skin is like, rub his back, and stroke his hair that even looks silky in the low light. But he can't. That's not appropriate between friends, especially when one of them is asleep. He feels like a creep for even thinking about that in the first place and returns his attention to the cat.

 

Yuki seems impatient, still trying to meow at him from what he sees. He tries to think of what the cat wants. The first things he thinks of are she wants to play, eat, or go outside. It can't be 'go outside' because she's obviously an indoor cat. So, it's either play or eat... and feeding her seems like a more pressing matter. He gets up and puts the cat on the floor so she can follow him into the kitchen. Turning on the kitchen light, he finds the cat food bag and looks on the bag to see the instructions on how much the cat needs to be fed. Only a half a cup? Well, the last pet that John had was Sumo and of course a cat isn't going to eat as much as a Saint Bernard.

 

Getting the food bowl and finding a measuring cup, John fills the food bowl with one scoop of food and puts it down for Yuki to eat. The cat immediately starts to eat. Just as John smiles at the sight, the lights flicker as it they're repeatedly turned on and off. John turns and Minoru is behind him at the light switch. Oh, so he woke up.

 

Minoru smirks once he has John's attention and signs, “ _You could have filled the whole bowl and it would have lasted Yuki the entire day.”_

 

“ _I thought you were asleep,”_ John points out also, “ _I thought you were going to sleep in your charge port.”_

 

“ _I missed my bed and thought you wouldn't mind me joining you,”_ Minoru responds. His hair is now in a loose ponytail and he has a shirt with a cartoon graphic on. Yet, Minoru still looks as gorgeous as ever. Even in casual clothes off the ice, John swears his breath is taken away. Minoru asks, “ _Was I wrong in assuming that?”_

 

John shakes his head and assures, “ _I don't mind... Does your cat always wake you up at almost five in the morning?”_

 

He sees a chuckle from the android as he explains, “ _Usually she wakes me at six in the morning. You being over has screwed up her whole schedule... Will you be staying another night?”_

 

John considers it and the more he thinks about it, the more he doesn't want to go back to his parents. A little bit embarrassed, he admits, “ _I... want to stay here.”_

 

Minoru does something John doesn't expect. He smiles at that and walks forward to give him a hug. For a few moments, John is caught in the hug a bit confused until Minoru pulls away and signs, “ _I'd love the company... You could stay the entire summer if you want. We can train and live together. What could be better? We can develop each others programs for the new season and everything. How does that sound?”_

 

John doesn't even hesitate with his response. He's never wanted anything more in his life. To have any kind of closeness to Minoru is something he's dreamed of, “ _That sounds fantastic. I'll text my dad right now.”_

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit of filler content to bridge into the next part of the fic that is actually plot. Basically, I'm writing the time Minoru and John are living together during the summer in this chapter for my own entertainment. The “implied sexual content” tag applies to this chapter and there's some depictions of nudity, so you've been warned. Thank you all for reading this.

_June 2058_

 

John didn't take Minoru's warning that he's hard to live with seriously until Minoru started letting his guard down around John.

 

The first week of living with Minoru was adjusting to each other. John had to get used to being woken up by Yuki early in the morning to be fed because Minoru seemed dead to the world while asleep next to John. Minoru would first fall asleep in his charge port but during the night while John is asleep he'll move onto the bed. It took a week for John to stop his heart from racing every time he wakes up and finds the gorgeous android beside him.

 

John lives off delivery food the first week since Minoru has no food in the cupboards. He never thought he would say this but eating Chinese food every day isn't all it is cracked up to be. After a week, Minoru seems to notice John's boredom with eating the same thing everyday and suggests they go to the grocery store... and admits he's been logging John's diet for Connor to monitor and Connor is not happy that his son is eating take-out food everyday. John feels mildly betrayed that Minoru is reporting back to his dad but at the same time he knows it's because Minoru doesn't want John is isolate himself from his family. Regardless, John agrees to go to the grocery store with Minoru that weekend.

 

It's after the trip to the grocery store that Minoru... changes. Basically, Minoru starts acting differently and it all started with a simple question.

 

“ _Do you mind if I relax around the place naked?”_

 

John nearly chokes on the water from his water bottle. Once he clears his throat and puts his water bottle down, John has to take a moment to consider that before replying, “ _... I don't know. It's your apartment. Do what you want.”_

 

They just returned from practice when Minoru asked that question. John is exhausted and not sure how to process the idea of having the person of his affections naked around him but isn't going to tell Minoru no in his own home. However, as soon as John basically gave him the go ahead to get naked, Minoru smiles and strips off his shirt and pants to be in nothing except his boxers. Minoru proceeds with his usual after-practice routine of relaxing on the couch with Yuki and John has to struggle not to stare. Minoru's body is perfectly crafted; Whoever crafted him really payed attention to the details of what an athlete's body looks like, giving him smooth skin with a few moles for aesthetic and abs that John wishes years of sit-ups could give him.

 

He doesn't like to admit it but he definitely stared at Minoru's crotch. He's never seen the android completely naked. Only having seen Minoru this close to being naked, John's a little curious which genitalia Fukushima Labs gave him. Cyberlife now gives androids options to give themselves genitalia if they desire but Fukushima Labs is known for letting their androids have a choice of what they want before being allowed out of their workshops. It's selfish but John is also curious to know which he has so he can fuel his fantasies when he's jacking it in the shower later... There's also some guilt he has knowing he does fantasize about his best friend but he tries to suppress those thoughts.

 

John is snapped out of his gazing when he notices Minoru turn his head toward him and sign, “ _Is something the matter?”_

 

He immediately blushes and replies, “ _It's nothing! I was just thinking.”_

 

With a knowing and amused gaze, Minoru calls him out, “ _You're staring at my crotch.”_

 

Fuck. Knowing he has been caught and his face red, he admits, “ _... I'm honestly curious about something.”_ Minoru props himself up to watch him carefully. John knows his dads raised him better than to meddle in other people's business, especially to flat out ask people what's in their pants, but he does it anyway, “ _I know you look male... but do you have male parts?”_

 

The dubious look Minoru gives him makes him think he fucked up until Minoru smirks and signs, “ _You want to see for yourself?”_

 

If John was an android, he would short circuit. Is he teasing him? In a time like this? Fuck, Minoru does this teasing stuff a lot but he has no idea how much it affects his mental being... and if he did, John would want to bury himself in the ground and die from embarrassment. The two stare back at each other for a few moments and, when Minoru waggles his eyebrows, John feels like he has to uphold something. Probably his pride, he's not exactly sure what, but he gets a serious face on and directly asks, “ _Show me.”_

 

With no shame, Minoru stands up and sheds the last piece of clothing he had on. Well, John can't say he's not surprised. Minoru may have been built to look male but he has female genitalia. It's not what he expected but he doesn't think any less of Minoru for the choice of parts he chose for himself... but it does make several fantasies he's had while masturbating not possible in reality.

 

“ _What do you think?”_ Minoru seems unreadable besides his LED whirling yellow in thought. This must be stressful for Minoru, in John's mind. He's not really sure how a non-deviant android would feel about exposing himself to his best friend but it must be stressful.

 

“ _It's... not quite what I expected,”_ John admits and Minoru starts to frown and his LED turns red. John isn't sure why his LED is red but he continues, “ _But, it's okay. You're still my friend. If you're comfortable with what you have then I am, too.”_

 

Thankfully, that calms Minoru back to a blue LED and the android smiles to hide his distress earlier. Minoru admits, “ _I'm glad you're not freaked out... Even the labs thought I was weird for wanting that kind of private parts.”_

 

This is a bit sensitive but John asks, “ _Is that why you always change into your costumes in the bathroom stalls at competitions? Also... what's it like having, um, a vagina?”_ John feels stupid for asking the second question but it's a question he's always wanted the answer to since he was five years old and realized that some people don't have the same genitals as he does. He did ask Connor but all his dad could do was say 'I have no idea but please don't just go and ask girls that'.

 

Minoru seems to do a dramatic sigh and reply, “ _Oh, I've been caught. Yes, that's why I change in the bathroom stalls at competitions,”_ He pauses for a moment to smirk and answer the second question, “ _It's like having a hole that you squeeze like a muscle. I could ask you the same type of question about what a dick is like.”_

 

From Minoru's body language, he's comfortable with the conversation and that puts John at ease. So, he answers that questions, “ _It's like having a flesh stick that can get hard.”_

 

“ _Like yours does sometimes in the morning?”_ Minoru jokes and John knows he audibly groans. Of course, Minoru would be the type to tease him for that.

 

“ _You're an android. You're lucky and don't have to deal with how unpredictable a dick is!”_ John complains.

 

“ _Then I made the right choice when the labs let me choose my genitals._ ” Minoru responds. They stare at each other for a moment before they're both laughing. This conversation is so ridiculous. Never did John think he would be comfortably talking to Minoru about each others' private parts. Hell, he never thought he'd ever see Minoru naked. It's been an eventful day already.

 

Both of them are distracted when Yuki comes over to get attention from the two. Minoru bends over to pat her head before seeking assurance from John, “ _You're really okay with me being naked? Because I'm used to being naked almost everyday when I'm not at practice.”_ John is sure he'll get used to it after awhile and nods, which seems to give Minoru relief and he returns to lounging on the couch.

 

That was the first incident. After that, it just got more... interesting.

 

There would be times during the second week that Minoru would give John money and tell him to leave the house for a few hours, saying that he needed some time to himself. At first, John was fine with that because fifty dollars would give him a few hours of fun at the arcade and he could understand if Minoru wanted alone time. However, after about the fourth day of this, John is curious and doesn't go to the arcade or even the library. Instead, he waits about thirty minutes outside the apartment building before going back to the apartment to see what Minoru is up to (He's always had a gut instinct by how Minoru insists he leave the apartment that something is up).

 

Unlocking the door and walking in to check on his friend, John walks in on a sight that is... weird. Minoru isn't just naked; He has his skin faded away to where he is just his white plastic body and his front compartment is opened up to expose his wires, his wires connected to the electrical socket and is obviously electrocuting himself. His mouth is open and he must be making noise, assuming it's in distress. What the actual fuck?

 

John is so startled by the sight he says out loud, “Minoru!”

 

The android jolts from his name being called and rips himself away from the electrical socket. His skin re-coats itself except where his panel is open and John notices what's wrong immediately. When Minoru ripped himself from the power source, he ripped more of his wires than the ones that were connected to the power outlet. Minoru's LED is red and he falls on his back, looking disoriented. John quickly gets on his knees and accesses the damage closer. He has no idea what the fuck Minoru was doing but John just made it worse.

 

Minoru weakly tries to sign, “ _What are you... doing here?”_

 

“ _What the hell were you doing? Are you okay?!”_ John is frantic and confused what happened but he knows Minoru is not okay.

 

Minoru starts to sign something but his eyes gloss over and it seems he shuts down. John has to close his eyes and breathe. He cannot panic right now. Yes, his friend looks literally dead but if his dad has taught him anything is that just because an android shuts down doesn't mean they're dead yet. Looking inside his front compartment, John can see that five wires are disconnected from their connecting points. One of them is a power source to his thirium pump and the others are for various functions. John has no idea where any of them connect so he gets out his phone and contacts someone who would know. He texts Emma.

 

_John: Emma, this is an emergency_

 

_John: I found Minoru connecting himself to a power outlet and startled him so bad he ripped out several of his wires. What the fuck do I do?_

 

It takes her a couple minutes to reply.

 

_Emma: Send me a pic and I can tell you where the wires connect._

 

_Emma: Btw, I can't stop laughing XD_

 

_John: ??? Why are you laughing?_

 

_Emma: You caught Minoru pleasuring himself, you dumbass. Androids feel pleasure from electrocution._

 

Oh. OH. Suddenly it makes sense why Minoru was telling him to let him have a few hours to himself daily... It also pulls back a memory when John was nine and he saw Connor accidentally shock himself when helping Hank fix the washing machine. He didn't know that the face his dad made was one of pleasure until just now and he's not sure how to feel about that. Regardless, John can understand the want for privacy and knows that sometimes even non-deviant androids seek pleasure.

 

_Emma: Although... Minoru is a dumbass, too. Electrocution fucks up an android's hard drive really bad over long periods of time x.x_

 

John frowns at that but then remembers to take a picture of Minoru's insides and sends it to Emma. It takes another few minutes before she responds.

 

_Emma: Hmmm... Connect the thick red wire to the bottom of the thirium pump. The two blue wires connect to each other and the yellow ones connect to each other. There should be a 'start up' sound and he should wake up._

 

_John: I'm fucking deaf, Emma. I can't hear a start up sound._

 

_Emma: Connect the fucking wires, dipshit and then we'll figure this the fuck out._

 

John cautiously connects the wires and notices that Minoru's thirium pump is flowing again. Minoru twitches a bit but he starts up and the light comes back to his eyes... but he doesn't move other than that. Did he screw up? Oh lord, please don't be dead, Minoru.

 

_Emma: If all he does is twitch, you'll need to reach in inside him and push his reboot button. It's located on the side of his thirium pump._

 

John finds it and pushes it. Minoru goes completely dead-eyed for a minute before he reboots, his eyes shining and they blink before Minoru tries to sit up. John is relieved as Minoru blinks a few more times, closes his front compartment, and runs a hand through his hair. Minoru is alive.

 

Minoru looks at John and his expression goes from surprise to absolutely pissed off. John blinks and signs, “ _Are you okay?_ ”

 

“ _I told you to go somewhere for a few hours! Why did you come back?”_ Minoru is livid. He immediately gets up and gets his clothes that are strung about the floor to redress himself.

 

Now, John is pissed, too, “ _How was I supposed to know you were getting yourself off? I was curious so I waited and came back to check on you. I didn't know you were frying your hard drive to try and feel good...”_

 

There's a flush of blue to Minoru's cheeks. Minoru is blushing and even though John is mad he finds it cute. Minoru pouts and responds, “ _Well, I didn't know I was frying my hard drive... I used to do this only once a week before you moved in but after not doing it for a week, I kinda... really needed to get off. It feels really good. My stress levels go down after doing it.”_

 

John sighs and apologizes, “ _I shouldn't have disturbed you... I'm sorry.”_

 

Minoru softens and signs, “ _Maybe I should have been honest with you with what I was doing but I was embarrassed. Like, I figured if you could do it in my shower then I should be able to have some time to do it myself.”_

 

John's eyes widen, “ _Hold the fuck up. How do you know that I do that in the shower?”_

 

Minoru waggles his eyebrows and informs, “ _Your moans are louder than you think, dummy.”_

 

John feels his cheeks heat up and he's lost on what to say next. Luckily, he doesn't have to because Minoru asks, “ _How did you know how to reconnect my wires?”_

 

“ _My friend Emma helped me through text messages.”_

 

“ _Ah, okay. She's a good friend to you. You ever thought about dating her?”_

 

John frowns and responds, “ _Don't change the subject. Are you sure you're okay?”_

 

“ _My systems are normal. I didn't lose any memories or damage any systems so I'm good... Was it Emma that told you that the electrocution was frying my hard drive?”_

 

John nods and Minoru frowns with the response, “ _Fuck, that sucks... I don't know how else I'm going to relieve stress.”_

 

John thinks about it for a moment before asking, “ _Do you, um, have the pleasure upgrade that most Cyberlife androids have downloaded? If you do, you could masturbate the traditional way.”_

 

Minoru gives him a look he can't decipher but it doesn't look pleased with that question. Minoru snorts and responds, “ _Fukushima Labs only makes that upgrade for the sex worker models. If I requested that to be downloaded onto me, they would be suspicious I'm going deviant and I don't need that inconvenience right now.”_

 

Well, that sucks... But maybe there's a way that doesn't have to deal with Fukushima Labs. He gets his phone and Minoru watches in confusion as he texts Emma.

 

_John: Thanks, Emma. He's working again but I have a question for you._

 

_Emma: What?_

 

_John: Is it possible to make upgrades from Cyberlife compatible with Fukushima Labs androids?_

 

_Emma:... Yes. Why, you want me to code something for Minoru?_

 

_John: Yeah, I do. I'm wondering if you can modify the pleasure update to be compatible with Minoru._

 

_Emma: :^) Oh, I see what you're trying to do._

 

_John: This isn't the time for that. Minoru should be able to get off without electrocuting himself :(_

 

_Emma: Yeah, I can do that. But I need Minoru's consent first._

 

John shows his phone to Minoru, who quickly reads the exchange. Minoru seems surprised but nods in agreement. Wordlessly, John gives Minoru her phone number so he can get out his own phone and start to text her that he wants the possibility of the upgrade. They wait for a few minutes and then they see they Emma has added them to a group chat.

 

_Emma: So, you want to be able to orgasm, Minoru? :^)_

 

_John: Don't be so blunt about it_

 

_Minoru: Yes, I do. I know you and I have never spoken before but I trust John that you're skilled with androids._

 

_Emma: I'm the best he knows. I can have the upgrade calibrated to you in a week._

 

_Minoru: Perfect_

 

_Minoru: By the way, have you considered taking my best friend here on a date?_

 

John just stares open-mouthed at Minoru. Is... Minoru trying to be his wingman, completely unaware that John is in love with him? John dies a little on the inside.

 

_Emma: Naw, I'm only attracted to androids :p Unless you want to go on one with me._

 

Oh, fuck you too, Emma. That's what John thinks.

 

_Minoru: No thank you. I'm married to skating :)_

 

John feels relief that Minoru said no. In his mind, he still has a chance with Minoru.

 

_Emma: Lol, anyway I'll text you when the upgrade is done._

 

With that, John and Minoru are left there awkwardly in the apartment. Minoru seems satisfied that Emma is willing to do that for him but then jolts like he realized something and signs, “ _Um, can you promise me something?”_

 

“ _What?”_

 

“ _Well, can you not masturbate in my shower until I get the upgrade? It doesn't fair that one of us gets pleasure while the other doesn't.”_ Minoru signs as if it's common logic.

 

John is surprised but... it makes sense and he doesn't want Minoru to feel bad. Hell, it was a good thing John caught him doing the act because the way he was doing it wasn't healthy for him. John will pay the price if it means he'll support Minoru. If John can't masturbate for a week or longer, that's fine with him.

 

He nods and Minoru smiles. After that, Minoru orders pizza as a way of apologizing for subjecting John to what happened before and John can't even be displeased. Pizza is a pretty good way to apologize.

 

…

 

_July 2058_

 

After the first two incidents, the next two weeks were a breeze despite the metaphorical dance that John and Minoru are doing around each other in order to live together. Perhaps all roommates do this to some degree but John isn't used to it after living his whole life with his parents. The experience is new and exciting. It's interesting for John to catch Minoru watching him from the living room as John eats or when John is playing with Yuki and suddenly Minoru pretends to be watching TV instead. It's little things like that. Sometimes, John will watch Minoru work in an android-oriented puzzle book just to see his changes in expression or even join him on the couch to watch TV together. The two have learned a lot about each other than what they're like while practicing at the rink. Their bond has grown deeper, at least that's what John feels.

 

Four weeks they've lived together is when Minoru brings up, “ _You can't keep avoiding your family. Connor is worried sick about you... Even Hank is worried. Connor messages me everyday asking about you and you keep insisting I tell him not to see you at the rink,”_ Minoru gives him a stern look as he admits, “ _I can't take it anymore. You need to make up with your parents or I'm going to make you stay in a hotel.”_

 

They're at the rink when Minoru brings that up. Both of them have been practicing new choreography for new programs and John is nowhere near ready to skate in competition in two months. The media has probably gotten the news to his parents faster than John has had the time to tell them (Journalists come by the rink occasionally and Minoru is happy to answer their questions. He even answers their questions about John since Connor has been nowhere to be seen in the last four weeks at his son's request to not come by the rink, meaning Connor can't act as John's publicist/coach as usual). It's no secret that he won't be able to skate to his full potential until US Nationals in January of next year. Regardless, it was inevitable that Minoru would eventually bring up the rocky relationship he has with his parents right now and he knows he's acting like a child by avoiding them... avoiding discussing his future with them.

 

When John seems to ignore Minoru saying that, the android gets pissed off and signs, “ _By the way, I invited them to come watch us skate today. Both Connor and Hank. Hell, they might even bring Ginny.”_

 

John's eyes widen and he frantically responds, “ _You did what!?”_

 

“ _You read my signing right... Your parents are going to watch us practice. I'm not playing games when I say I'll kick you out if you don't make up with them.”_ Minoru has a bit of attitude as he informs that. The two stare at each other for a moment before Minoru skates away from him to go turn on the music intercom and start practicing his short program. From the familiar rhythm he feels and from being informed over a week ago, he knows Minoru will be skating to “History Maker” from that one ice skating anime that was popular over forty years ago. Cheeky, considering that Minoru has literally made history by surpassing every android in the figure skating world and is maintaining his legendary status.

 

All John can do is keep skating until his parents arrive. Minoru is not wrong; He needs to make up with his parents and tell them face-to-face that he's waiting until US Nationals to compete again.

 

No less than thirty minutes later, the rest of John's family is at the rink. At first, he pretends to be so focused on skating that he doesn't notice them but he can feel their eyes on him and Minoru. He feigns ignorance of their presence until he notices Hank help Ginny get a pair of skates on and his young sister wobbles onto the ice, wanting to enjoy herself.

 

When Ginny is close enough to sign something where her dads can't see it, she greets, “ _Long time no see, Helen Keller.”_

 

John knows he's giving her a very nasty look but politely signs, “ _Nice to see you too, Meatball.”_

 

Ginny's face drops at the new nickname for her, obviously irritated by it. _Ha,_ John thinks, _got her good that time._ Or he thinks that until she angrily signs, “ _I was a good girl while you were gone. I didn't run away to be with my boyfriend like you did.”_

 

John isn't phased, continuing, “ _Like you could ever get a boyfriend with that hell child personality of yours.”_

 

Ginny is fuming as she animatedly bites back, “ _Boys are nasty. I like being around girls more. You're gross for liking boys.”_

 

“ _At least boys actually want to be around me. You're just jealous that people actually like me and you get ignored like chopped liver.”_ John knows he's probably hitting a sore spot for his introverted sister who likes animals more than humans and androids but he's getting tired of her aggression towards him. Well, maybe aggression isn't the right word. It's more like she wants attention from him but isn't doing it in the right way.

 

Balling her fists and looking like she has no reply to that statement, she wobbly skates away with tears at the corner of her eyes from frustration. John does feel a little bad but he feels what he said was warranted considering she won't give up the god-awful nickname for him. It seems she doesn't have to stew in her frustration for long because Minoru stops what he's doing to go talk to her. He's not sure what Minoru has to say to an eight-year-old-going-on-nine-next-month but it seems to make her smile.

 

Realizing he can't ignore the issue any longer, John skates to the rink side to converse with his parents. Connor has been watching him the entire time and has his arms crossed as John skates over. Hank is leaning on the rink wall with a bored look on his face. Connor looks stressed with worry and that makes John feel terrible.

 

“... _Hey.”_ It was more of a soft wave than a proper greeting, nervous how they will react.

 

There's a tense moment when Connor uncrosses his arms and walks towards him. The last thing he expects is that Connor reaches over the rink wall and pulls him into a hug, feeling breath pass his ear like Connor is saying something but he cannot tell what it is. Hank watches with a soft, strained smile. When Connor pulls away, he looks like he would be teary-eyed if he could physically cry. John feels like he has been a terrible son.

 

“ _I missed you,”_ Connor signs, biting his lip a little, “ _It's not the same getting updates from Minoru. I really needed to see you... Hank has missed you, too.”_

 

Hank has a neutral look now with that and appears to grunt. Connor continues, “ _... Hank and I have done some talking and we've both agreed that you can skate until you can't keep up with your competitors... Please tell me you're not angry with us.”_

 

John knows his face is neutral right now but inside he's relieved that Hank and Connor will let him skate longer. Even if it's for one more season, he's happy. John replies, “ _No, I'm not angry. I've had the past month to think as well and I'm sorry for worrying you both. Minoru is helping me get back in shape,”_ He pauses as he puts together what he wants to say in his mind before actually signing it, “ _And... I'm going to need a coach. Dad, will you coach me still? Even if it's only for another season. I'll seriously start looking at colleges after this season.”_

 

Hank cuts in, “ _You don't need to rush going to college... I have something I need to say anyway. I'm retiring from the DPD and Connor made me realize that you need to follow your dreams. Even if it's for reasons relating to Minoru...”_

 

Connor seems surprised that Hank brought that up. Hell, John is floored. He knows Connor is aware of his feelings for Minoru but Hank? John thought he wasn't that obvious for Hank to know. Hank scrunches his face as he signs, “ _Son, I love you and I'm worried you're just going to get your heart broken but I won't keep you from what you love and who you love.”_

 

John feels his heart swell knowing that his dad cares about him. He looks around to see Minoru and Ginny playing on the ice, unaware of the conversation going on, before turning back to his parents and saying, “ _Thank you... for supporting me.”_

 

“ _And I will keep supporting you, John,”_ Connor signs, “ _Of course I will keep being your coach. I'll be by your side until the end.”_

 

Hank sighs and informs, “ _I'll support you from the sidelines like I usually do... Being retired means I'll have more time for you and Ginny.”_

 

John asks, “ _Does you being retired mean you're going to be coaching Ginny with her horse lessons?”_

 

Hank shrugs and signs, “ _Probably. You have Connor, so Ginny needs me.”_

 

John smiles at that before signing, “ _Yeah. Is it really okay if I live at Minoru's for awhile? I kinda like living there...”_

 

“ _Of course. You will always have a room at the house if you change your mind.”_ Connor signs and Hank nods in agreement.

 

Suddenly, Minoru skates up to them and greets, “ _Hello, Connor and Hank,”_ Both of them wave and Minoru asks Hank, “ _How has your heart been? You were in the hospital a couple days ago.”_

 

John frowns and immediately is on edge. Why the fuck did no one tell him that his dad was in the hospital? Connor's expression turns sad again and looks like he wants to hold his lover's hand. John's mind is running a million miles an hour, wanting to know what happened.

 

Hank seems annoyed being asked and signs, “ _I'm fine. Some chest pain and some mild arrhythmia was enough for Connor to demand I go to the hospital. It was a big fuss over nothing... but the doctor did increase my blood pressure medication.”_ Hank looks at John and signs, “ _It wasn't enough to get you all worried. You should get back to practice. Both of you. I'm gonna go sit down; My knees hurt.”_

 

As Hank goes towards the bleachers, John signs at Minoru, “ _Why didn't you tell me?”_

 

Minoru frowns and replies, “ _Connor was frantic when he messaged me about it but not to tell you unless it was serious... I'm sorry.”_

 

Connor assures, “ _I overreacted. It was an honest mistake.”_

 

John sighs and decides everything is fine. His dad is okay so there's nothing to worry about, right? Connor looks around John and Minoru to check on Ginny before signing, “ _Hank and I will stay and watch until Ginny is done skating. She has riding lessons in two hours. I hope you don't mind skating while we watch.”_

 

John can tell that last part was more aimed at Minoru but he nods anyway and Minoru nods too. Connor smiles and then goes to join Hank on the bleachers. Hank and Connor hold hands while watching Ginny skate in circles. John and Minoru skate back to the center of the ice and John feels like a weight is taken off his shoulders knowing his dads aren't upset with him or trying to force him to do something he doesn't want to do... but he is worried about Hank's health.

 

When Ginny gets off the ice about a half hour later, John makes a deal with his dads to visit at least once a week for dinner or something. Even Minoru agrees that he wants to join them for dinner. Once the deal is made, the two continue to practice while John's family prepares for Ginny's riding lessons.

 

John falls on a jump and Minoru helps him back up before signing, “ _Don't you feel better now? Making up with your dads?”_

 

“ _Yeah... Thank you for that, Minoru.”_

 

…

 

In the last week of July, there's a terrifying moment that makes John realize how precious his time with Minoru is.

 

They're at the rink at about eight o'clock at night when Coach Summers comes out of her office to signal Minoru to come over to the rink wall to talk to her. John watches the scene unfold from a few feet away. He can't read Minoru's lips from this angle but Coach Summers says, “I'm retiring, Minoru... You have one week to find a new coach before Fukushima Labs demands you return to Japan.”

 

John sees Minoru go stiff from hearing that and John goes stiff just from reading her lips. Coach Summers has been Minoru's coach for twenty years but she's getting older and wants to finally settle down. She is all Minoru has ever known but has let Minoru be independent in the last few years. For example, she has been acting as his coach so he can stay in the United States but he trains on his own or with John. Minoru seems to be trying to argue his case but she waves him away and shakes her head, not willing to listen.

 

When Coach Summers walks back to her office, Minoru turns to find John with his LED shining red and in distress. John signs, “ _I can't believe it... she's really dropping you.”_

 

Minoru's lip quivers like he's going to cry but no tears fall. He drops to the ice and curls into a ball from the stress, John assumes. John wants to cry because the realization hits him like a freight train. He's going to lose Minoru... or so he thinks.

 

John is startled as he sees Connor has rushed on to the ice to attend to Minoru. Connor must have just arrived within minutes and the first thing he saw was Minoru having a breakdown. Connor seems to be trying to comfort Minoru but Minoru is still in a tight ball. Connor looks at John and signs, “ _What happened?”_

 

“ _Coach Summers is retiring... Minoru doesn't have a coach.”_ John knows his dad can put the pieces together from that. There's not much keeping Minoru in the United States and Connor is aware of the circumstances of Fukushima Labs keeping him training there.

 

There's several long moments before Connor tries again. He seems to call Minoru's name to get the android's attention. It takes a minute but Minoru uncurls and looks Connor in the eyes. Connor signs so John can be apart of the conversation, “ _Are you okay?”_

 

Minoru visibly sniffles and signs, “ _I... don't want to go back to Japan. I don't want to leave Detroit. I could easily get another coach in another country... but I don't want that. Why would Coach Summers do this to me?”_

 

Connor shares a look with John and John grits his teeth. He doesn't want Minoru to leave either. He can feel tears in the corners of his eyes but refuses to let them fall. Connor sighs and then, to John's surprise, signs, “ _What if I take over as your coach, Minoru?”_

 

Minoru blinks and John sees the word 'what?' mouthed. Connor continues, " _You only need someone to act as your coach and be Detroit-based, right? I'm John's coach but I can take on another skater. I'm certified by the ISU and everything.”_

 

Just as quick as John thinks he's losing Minoru, everything works out. His dad is solving the problem. Minoru stands and so does Connor. Minoru looks like he's relieved. He was having a breakdown and now that he knows his time in Detroit is lengthened, Minoru is weakly smiling and nods. Connor smiles back and signs, “ _Don't worry. You don't have to leave Detroit... you don't have to leave John.”_

 

John almost blushes at that but Minoru nods and signs back, “ _Thank you, Connor. I owe you so much.”_

 

“ _No problem. You're family to me. Of course I would help,”_ Connor pauses for a moment to check the time and tells them, “ _Go home, both of you. De-stress and we'll pick up training at nine in the morning. I'll handle Coach Summers and contacting the ISU on your change in coach. Okay?”_

 

Minoru and John nod and go home. Even though everything worked out, John is a little shaken up because he would have lost Minoru if Connor hadn't intervened. It's scary to think Minoru would have to move... even scarier, John might have uprooted his whole life to follow after Minoru, too.

 

John feels a tap on his shoulder once they're inside the apartment. John turns to Minoru and Minoru asks him, “ _Want to watch something with me for awhile?”_

 

“ _What did you have in mind?”_

 

Minoru shrugs before replying, “ _Anime? … If that's alright with you.”_

 

Why wouldn't it be alright with him? John smiles and nods. Minoru smiles back and then proceeds to take off his shoes to get comfortable. John follows suit as Yuki greets them, obviously pleased her owners have returned home (Minoru considers John to be his co-parent to the cat. John considers the role as cute.). After getting some crackers from the kitchen, John cautiously joins Minoru on the couch. He sits several inches away from Minoru to give him space. Minoru seems distracted with scrolling through his smart TV's video subscriptions to find the anime provider he usually uses. When he finds it, Minoru scrolls through his anime watch list to find the ice skating show that his short program's song is from.

 

Minoru then turns to John and asks, “ _Is this show alright? I thought it would be something we'd both enjoy.”_

 

John has already seen it but he would happily re-watch it with Minoru. John nods. Minoru starts the show, moving to sit closer to John and that raises John's heart rate and makes him tense. Minoru is about to rest his head on John's shoulder when he notices the tension and asks, “ _Is it okay for me to rest against you?”_

 

When John just stares at him in surprise, Minoru's LED flickers between yellow and red as he signs, “ _I... know I'm not soft and warm like a human but I was hoping that you'd let me cuddle with you... After what happened earlier today, I'm experiencing software instability and would like some comfort.”_

 

There's a lot of things that John is thinking right now but he can't deny Minoru that. Carefully, he moves an arm to wrap around Minoru's shoulders and pull him close. Fast heart rate and his own caution be damned, he's going to indulge in being able to hold Minoru like they're lovers. For his own sanity, John locks his eyes on the TV screen so he doesn't have to be reminded that he's holding his best friend this way.

 

Minoru seems to sense his awkwardness, starting the show to relieve the tension. The show is just as John remembers it. He feels the same empathy for the main character losing at the Grand Prix Final. John has lost plenty of times to know how much it stings. Halfway through the first episode, John tries not to notice Minoru's hand on his thigh. Neither of them communicate during the show. John starts to fall asleep around episode four. The last thing he thinks about is how safe he feels like this, being close to Minoru.

 

…

 

Minoru is highly aware that John fell asleep. The android figured this would happen but he didn't expect it to happen until episode five. Part of him anticipated that John would get bored and go to bed before episode three but he surpassed that expectation, too.

 

Minoru's life in the past six weeks has been the best he's ever experienced. He never understood what loneliness was until he had John living with him. It's like feeling whole for the first time in his life... and he's not unaware of John's feelings towards him. The increased heart rate in his presence, the blushing, dilated pupils, and conflict in his eyes when Minoru tries to get them closer to each other. They're all signs of attraction that he's noticed since John was just entering puberty it seemed like but Minoru never knew his crush would last this long.

 

Hell, Minoru realizes now how much his teasing must of affected John as he watches John's breathing while sleeping. John knows what he looks like naked, something he learned a long time ago to be self-conscious of and yet John accepted him. If it weren't for John, he would still be frying his hard drive to get off instead of doing it normally. This is the same John that will stop him mid-skate to guide him through a motion on the ice to look more human... and Minoru would imagine John's hands on him while exploring his new and safe way to masturbate.

 

He's on the edge of deviancy but he's not willing to let go his need to stay a machine just yet. He knows if he gives in to his love for John, whether platonic or romantic, he'll have a month before Fukushima Labs catches on and they inform the immigration officials that he needs to be deported for deactivation. It's not fair. He's allowed to explore the world and be surrounded by those who love him if he stays a machine but if he loses himself to their love, he'll be thrown away like a malfunctioning toy.

 

Right now, it ways heavily on Minoru's mind as he watches the man of his affections sleep. He might not have succumbed to deviancy yet but there's quite a few things he can get away with without fully losing himself to deviancy.

 

Minoru isn't paying attention to the show anymore, debating on whether he should give in to an urge... and he does. Unknown to John, Minoru leans in and kisses the sleeping man's cheek. John twitches in his sleep at the touch and Minoru smiles. He's not ready to go deviant yet... but he will soon. He just needs to find a way to be with John in case everything goes south like Connor warned him it would.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised the fic has gotten this far. I normally abandon fanfics that get poor views or that I get bored of but I feel obligated to finish this one. I feel like I need to write this fic so I can appreciate it more when I get more views on the more 'mainsteam' stuff I write (also, because I have abandoned too many wips already and I want to break my track record of not finishing anything). This chapter was supposed to be 6k but I stopped at 4.8k because I was emotionally exhausted by this chapter. Anyway, keep enjoying the fic and I hope the English translation of the song I used in this chapter isn't bad!

_August 2058_

 

“ _Emma, did you really have to bring Greg with you?”_ John asks but he probably already knows the answer. John and Emma agreed to have lunch together on a Sunday that John is taking off from skating so they can talk. It's been months since the two have properly spent time together and John's mouth salivated at the thought of Mexican food when Emma offered they go to the place serving it. Plus, she's paying.

 

They're in a booth by the window but the windows can only be looked through one way, meaning you can see outside but no one can look in at the restaurant goers. Convenient for John because he would rather not having the press speculating he has a girlfriend or something (Being a figure skater with multiple world medals and the national champion can be a pain in the ass regarding the press. It's not as bad as football, soccer, and basketball players but figure skating press is more ravenous due to being a niche sport). They're waiting for their food; Emma is sipping a virgin daiquiri with Greg watching her closely. Fuck, he looks so much like John's dad. It's kinda creepy.

 

When done sipping her drink, Emma signs, “ _Of course I had to bring him. He follows me everywhere. Right, my love?”_

 

Greg gives an overly sweet, admiring smile as he signs, “ _I'd follow you anywhere, sugar bear.”_

 

John cringes at the pet name. As Emma informed him earlier, Greg went deviant about a week after she modified him. Turns out Emma's dream to have an android boyfriend came true. Greg fell head over heels for her. She modified him to be able to play the violin and the first thing he did once he learned how to compose music was write a song about her. It's so sickeningly sweet that it feel John with jealousy that his own android won't fall in love with him and go deviant. He cringes at that thought as well, at the thought of Minoru being his because he knows damn well that Minoru is too independent to belong to anyone.

 

Emma obviously makes an 'awww' sound from the formation of her lips and leans in to kiss Greg's cheek. John clears his throat in awkwardness and takes a sip of water. Even if Minoru did go deviant and fell in love with him, John doubts that they'd be that sappy in public.

 

Emma turns her attention back to John again and signs, “ _How's it going back at the love nest with Minoru? He kiss you yet?”_

 

John rolls his eyes and replies, “ _No, he's not deviant. Sure, he likes to prance around naked and, very openly, tells me when to leave the apartment so he can pleasure himself but that's more showing he's comfortable with me as a friend.”_

 

Greg signs, “ _Not all androids present deviancy in the same way. He might not be completely deviant yet but deviant behavior starts before we actually go deviant. Especially if he's a Fukushima Labs model. Those models have to chip away at their code for years before they achieve sentience.”_

 

“... _I know.”_ John sighs and also points out, “ _If he goes deviant... I know I will lose him. The deactivation laws in Japan are bullshit. Even as his friend, I don't want anything to happen to him... I want him deviant to love me but I don't want him deviant because I want to stay by his side.”_ John knows how fucked everything is. Connor has told him before in the past that one day Minoru might have to go back to Japan but it wasn't until John was older that he realized that Minoru going back to Japan would mean his death. John wants to prevent that but doesn't know how.

 

Greg and Emma share a look of distress at his situation. Nothing is said until after their food arrives. As John timidly digs into his fajitas, Emma signs, “ _There's not much that can be done... It's up to Minoru to decide his fate now. All you can do is stand by and pray for the best... I'm sorry, John.”_

 

John doesn't reply because he knows how hopeless his situation is... In fact, he doesn't even bother to read the lips of the conversation between Emma and Greg while he eats.

 

“Poor John... Refuses to see that Minoru is smitten with him.” Emma takes a bite of her quesadilla after saying that to Greg.

 

Greg shrugs and comments, “Minoru better make a move soon... Even if it shortens his life, it would be better to spend a little bit of time with the one you love rather than suffer from what could have been.”

 

She nods and bites her lip. She agrees that Minoru should take advantage of the time they have together but she doesn't know what she'll do when she'll have to pick up the pieces of John's broken heart after the fact.

 

…

 

Lunch went well. John is lucky to have such a close friend he can vent to and is willing to put up with his pining. After talking about his situation with Minoru for what seems like the millionth time, he feels like some weight has been lifted off him even though it will pile on further the longer he stays with Minoru. It's maddening but John can't imagine it any other way now.

 

When he arrives at the apartment, Yuki greets him and he notices Minoru is, oddly enough, fully dressed. Well, at least John can save himself from the blush that would usually happen every time he sees Minoru just in his boxers. Minoru is on his laptop, resting on the couch. John is in Minoru's line of sight over the laptop and the android has a melancholy look at whatever he's looking at on his laptop. When Minoru sees him, he obviously clicks a tab closed and brings his hands up to sign, “ _Sit with me.”_

 

John is a little concerned, asking after he sits next to him, “ _Why were you looking sad?”_

 

Minoru mouth slants in thought before replying, “ _It's nothing. I promise. I was just thinking about something.”_

 

John frowns but doesn't press further. Minoru visibly sighs and then has an unreadable expression as he asks, “ _How was the date with Emma?”_

 

“ _It wasn't a date. We just had lunch... She and her android named Greg are a thing now.”_ John informs, a little annoyed that Minoru still insists that he's trying to date Emma. Emma isn't even his type. Well... his 'type' mostly consists of a single Japanese android but that's beside the point.

 

Minoru's LED turns yellow hearing that but his expression isn't distress... it's relief. He smiles and signs to John, “ _That's wonderful for her.”_

 

John turns his attention to Minoru's laptop screen. There are several tabs for a video streaming site up and a word document. Yuki has now curled up at Minoru's feet. John is curious and wonders, “ _What are you doing?”_

 

“ _Compiling songs that I could use for my free program or for future free programs. Want to help me choose?”_ Minoru offers with a smirk.

 

John snorts and signs, “ _You're not going to get much help from a deaf guy but we'll see.”_

 

He can tell Minoru chuckled and Minoru says, “ _All you have to do is read the lyrics and decide if the song has enough meaning to consider skating to. That's all...”_

 

Once John can see the tabs of the songs that Minoru has picked... he sees an obvious theme. The songs are all Japanese originally and they all have depressing themes. Some of heartbreak, of death, or of longing. John knows these songs because he's a nerd for poetry in song lyrics. Even with dodgy English translations, many of the songs are still beautiful in their own right. Minoru presses play on one of the songs and John can feel the rhythm of the piano through the speakers and read the lyrics on the screen.

 

“ _Life is only filled with goodbyes,_

 

_I forgot who said that,_

 

_But I feel he or she is right,_

 

_I come to a halt when I think of the past.”_

 

Minoru's expression is painfully neutral as he listens along. As if he's hiding how the song is making him feel. John notices his expression turn from neutral to melancholy again as the lyrics of the chorus play.

 

“ _Please somehow show me,_

 

_Everything that you love,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_The things that frighten you,_

 

_No matter the time, let me always be by your side.”_

 

This song... is showing John a side of Minoru he's never seen. Of longing and ache in Minoru. And... John wants to see him smile but also wants to absorb this moment that Minoru is sharing with him. He feels Minoru's hand find his as he pays attention to the lyrics once more on the screen. The song is ending.

 

“ _Everyone experiences loneliness,_

 

_As a matter of fact, I believe so too,_

 

_Your loneliness and my loneliness cannot be erased,_

 

_But can't we share them?_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_Your bleeding heart,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_The tainted time which has passed,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_Everything that you love,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_The things that you hold close,_

 

_No matter the time, let me always be by your side.”_

 

The song ends. John is aware that Minoru is holding his hand and squeezing tight. They sit quietly for what is minutes like this. John feels like there's something that Minoru is trying to tell him with the song. Minoru is calculated. Everything he does around John is with purpose. There has to be something more to this than just to collect songs for his free program... At least, John hopes that's it and he's not reading too far into this.

 

When Minoru lets go of his hand, John is frozen in place and watching him carefully. The android bites his lip and looks conflicted. John takes a risk and signs, “ _Tell me what's on your mind. This isn't about finding you a free program.”_

 

Minoru shakes his head briefly before responding, “ _It is and it isn't... It is to find me a free program but, of course, you read me like a book... You're a lot like Hank in that way. A natural born detective.”_

 

“ _So, something is on your mind and I'm not hallucinating... Your expression changed at the chorus of the song,”_ John grits his teeth a little as he gets out, “ _Do you... want me by your side? In what way?”_

 

Minoru grits his teeth too and his LED turns red. John wonders if his assumption was wrong until Minoru sharply signs, “ _You and I have known each other for almost fourteen years. When I first met you, I was a naive and ignorant android in regards to relationships to humans... but meeting you as a toddler was what changed me. You watched me like I was a god on the ice and I thought nothing of it until you started seeking me out. Your little hand would find mine and we'd practice spins and technique together until your session was over,”_ A soft smile appears on Minoru's face, “ _You became a brother to me when I didn't understand what it meant to have a brother. When you were older, I knew you developed stronger feelings for me,”_ John's eyes must have widened because Minoru teases, “ _Don't give me that look! It was obvious you were head over heels for me, even Connor joked that you would fall for me one day and... you did. Then, you worked so hard and became the rival I never knew I needed. I... should have never distanced myself from you and hurt you but you certainly showed me what an idiot I was for ignoring you.”_ Minoru scoots closer and John almost holds his breath, “ _You... are amazing, John. You showed me that I needed to work harder, that I was defeat-able, that I'm... close to human.”_

 

His LED turns red for a moment before he continues, “ _You... made me start to go deviant that day. You became my everything that day. I couldn't love you then but... I love you truly now. John, I can't take not being honest with you,”_ John is still as Minoru's lip quivers and he admits, “ _I've been deviant since last month. Fukushima Labs will know at the end of this month when I skip my check in and I want to spend the last bit of time I have as yours... Will you be my boyfriend? Even if it's only for a month or two?”_

 

John just gazes back at Minoru as he waits for an answer. This can't be happening. He just talked to Emma about his struggle with dealing with the fact he has no idea what he'd do if Minoru went deviant. All he knew was that as long as Minoru stayed the way he was, they'd be able to stay together. But now, all that is out the window. It's all over. Fukushima Labs will demand he return to Japan. He'll be deactivated-

 

“ _John? You're crying.”_ Minoru points out, his LED whirling red and worry in his expression. John can feel the tears falling down his cheeks and he breaks down. He can't hear it but he knows he's loudly sobbing now that Minoru has pointed it out. It's over... his time with Minoru is limited.

 

Minoru wraps his arms around John and holds him as he sobs, rubbing his back and making gentle shushing noises that go unheard. John can't sign because he's so distraught but he can yell out verbally, “This wasn't supposed to happen! I thought I had more time but no,” He sniffles and continues, “You just fucking had to go deviant. I-I did this to you... I shouldn't have moved in. Maybe, if I had stayed with my parents-”

 

Minoru pulls away and grabs John's chin to make John look at him. John is startled by the sudden, aggressive move. Minoru stares him straight in the eyes and shakes his head, obviously telling him that his train of thought it wrong. John doesn't struggle and Minoru's grip loosens. Minoru is tense, holding himself back from doing something.

 

John closes his eyes in order to regain his composure but it's taken by Minoru as a chance to kiss him. John didn't imagine Minoru's synthetic lips being this soft or feeling their fingers interlock as it's happening. John opens his eyes briefly during the kiss and meets Minoru's chocolate brown ones. Minoru closes his again and pushes John so he's laying on the couch as Minoru gently prods with his tongue for entrance.

 

While his heart feels like it's breaking, Minoru's kiss feels like a dam burst after many long years. His heart aches for there not being enough time but also feels like everything has fallen into place. It's bittersweet.

 

When Minoru pulls away, he licks his lips and gives John a soulful gaze. John has no idea what to do besides saying, “I love you.”

 

That earns him pure smile and then Minoru rests his head on John's chest. Neither of them have to say or sign anything for the message to get across. They're a couple. For better or for worse. Their time may be limited but John knows for damn sure he's not going to waste any time spent with Minoru anymore.

 

…

 

The way John and Minoru act around each other has changed. They act casual at the rink besides Minoru's friendly flirting that lights up John's cheeks with a flush and earns a knowing look from Connor (John is very aware that Minoru has told Connor through their weird mind-meld that androids can do about their relationship change. Connor didn't even seem surprised, giving them a sad smile at the news and telling them to focus on skating). At home, they can't take their hands off each other. Once they're in the doors of their apartment, away from the prying media and skating, John isn't shy to lock lips with his new partner. Minoru isn't shy either, introducing his tongue into the kiss as John has him backed flat against the wall. Kissing is their main distraction from the situation at hand. They both know Minoru is metaphorically fucked regarding Fukushima Labs but they refuse to think about it in favor of spending time as a couple.

 

When John pulls away from the kiss, it's to breathe. Minoru doesn't have to breathe and smirks at John for having to catch his breath. Minoru is... beautiful. John doesn't know how else to say it in this moment. Those brown eyes looking at him so softly and his hand in the android's silky hair is amazing. He's perfect. Minoru makes some space between them so John can read his signing, “ _So, how are we going to spend tonight? Kissing until we go to bed on the couch or actually get something meaningful done?”_

 

John snorts and responds, “ _I vote for kissing all night but it's up to you what we do... but nothing too horny, we've barely been together for a few days.”_

 

Minoru licks his lips seductively and defends, “ _There are some people who have sex with people they don't even know and it's not like you're saving yourself for marriage. But, if you don't want a quick fuck to blow off some steam, I'll respect that,”_ John knows he's flushed in the cheeks at that and is glad that Minoru doesn't push despite being surprisingly insatiable. If only Minoru knew how many times he's imagined them making love. It's not something he is ready to do yet. The relationship is too new. He is already indulging just by kissing Minoru like his life depends on it. Minoru continues, “ _What if... I join you for dinner at your parent's house? We won't have to cook anything and I'll get to bond with your family.”_

 

Considering it for a minute, John asks, “ _Have you already asked my dad before hand?”_

 

“ _Of course I have. Connor says we're welcome to join for dinner.”_ Minoru's LED was yellow for a few moments before he answered that, meaning he literally just asked Connor via text with his android brain.

 

John smiles and asks, “ _Then we just need to get ready for dinner?”_

 

“ _Yep. I'll help you pick something decent to wear.”_ After that, they spend the next half hour rummaging through their clothes to find something decent. John isn't sure how they ended up this way but John is in an anime-themed t-shirt with jeans on while his boyfriend wears a gray t-shirt hidden by John's dark red sweatshirt and a pair of black shorts that reveal those toned legs. John is convinced Minoru was made to be the death of him, not able to stop glancing at his boyfriend and his perfect legs. Not to mention the sweatshirt but it's August and Minoru must be trying to tempt him by looking tiny in the over-sized piece of clothing.

 

Once they've decided that is what they're wearing, Minoru makes sure Yuki's food bowl and water bowl are filled before they leave the cat on her own to wait for the bus. Connor knows they're coming because Minoru sends a message while they're waiting at the bus stop. No one is there so they hold hands until the bus arrives. As they get on the bus, John has a random thought about how odd it is that just before he was born that androids had to be segregated from humans on public transport. If that still applied today, he doesn't know how he'd manage not being able to sit this close to Minoru. He figures it would be agonizing.

 

After the long bus ride, which was mostly Minoru giving him teasing touches and a half-hearted conversation how Minoru didn't get why Harry Potter was so popular even now which John had to inform him that maybe he should read the books instead of watching the movies, they arrive close to John's childhood home. Before John can even knock, Connor opens the door and invites them in. His home hasn't changed much. Hank looks from watching the TV and waves at them. Ginny downright glares at John and John gives her a glare back. Minoru and Connor shake hands, interfacing at the same time to communicate. Connor's expression changes from being pleased to see them to concerned at whatever he and Minoru shared. Minoru has a slanted mouthed look as well which isn't comforting to John but he goes over to Hank and greets, “ _Hi... How's the game?”_

 

“ _It's okay. How is the new relationship? You and Minoru doing well?”_ Of course, Connor must have told him.

 

“ _It's been great,”_ John is honest, “ _We can't be separated.”_

 

Hank smiles at that and reminisces, “ _I remember when Connor and I were like that... As soon as we'd get home from work, we'd hold each other for hours. Of course, then you came along about a year later. Good times,”_ He pauses before signing, “ _I bet if marriage between androids and humans was legal, you'd marry him to keep him in the country, huh?”_

 

John feels his heart swell at the idea but, as his dad pointed out, it's not legal. His dad isn't wrong though. He'd marry Minoru at the courthouse right then if it would keep him with him... and now he's reminded how fucked their situation is. Damn.

 

He gives Hank a nod as Ginny seats herself on the couch. She joins in with, “ _Does that mean Minoru is my brother-in-law?”_

 

Hank chuckles and answers that, “ _They can't get married, hun.”_

 

Ginny frowns and adds, “ _Minoru would make a better brother than John...”_

 

John rolls his eyes and Hank admonishes, “ _Hey, be nice to your brother.”_

 

Minoru walks over and wraps an arm around John's waist, giving him a sultry look. John doesn't even stop Minoru from kissing him. It's a quick, chaste kiss but Ginny has to scrunch her nose dramatically and Hank seems to be happy that John is happy. Connor seems to have disappeared into the kitchen to continue working on dinner. Minoru turns his attention to Ginny and says something to her. The younger sibling seems excited by whatever Minoru said to her and she gets up to grab Minoru's hand and lead him elsewhere in the house, presumably her bedroom. John is left with Hank again, making John decide to sit in the chair to watch the game with Hank.

 

It's not long before Hank sparks up conversation again and it's what John has been avoiding, “ _... You two have a month at most. Maybe two... How are you going to spend your time with him?”_

 

John's lip quivers as he tries to keep his emotions in check. John isn't sure exactly but tells his dad, “ _I'm going to give him all the love I can to make up for years we won't get together... I'm just not sure how.”_

 

“ _Honestly, I'm doing the same thing right now with Connor.”_

 

John is taken aback by that. Why would Hank need to do that with Connor? Hank notices his confusion and drops a confession, “ _The doctor told me last month that my arteries are fucked... I'm due for a heart attack any time now. It's only a matter of time even with the medications I'm on.”_

 

The only reaction that John has to being told that is to be in shock. His dad's health is failing worse than he thought. No wonder he's retiring from police work already. His dad... might die. John feels like his situation got even worse. The first thing he asks is, “ _Does Connor know?”_

 

Hank nods and with a melancholic smile signs, “ _He's trying to pretend nothing is wrong with me. He's got me eating nothing but vegetables and he's coddling me more than usual. I'm not dying yet but I do appreciate his concern... I'm telling you this because I know I might die. If I do, I want to know I don't have any regrets. I want to make sure you don't have any regrets.”_

 

John understands where this conversation is going, getting to the point, “ _You don't want me to make the mistake of not spending enough time with Minoru efficiently because that's the problem you're having with Connor and Ginny now that you know your time is limited as well?”_

 

“ _You could add yourself to that list of people I'm not spending enough time with but you're right. You're everything to Minoru right now, according to what Connor has told me. He needs you... just like I know Connor needs me and it's not fair that I might have to leave him soon.”_ Hank stares at his own hands in thought. It must be really settling in for his father that his life is finite. It takes a moment but Hank continues, “ _Do me a favor, John. This is a fucked conversation to be having but, when I die, take care of Connor and Ginny. At the rate this is going, Minoru will already be gone by the time I go and you're going to need the support just as much as Connor and Ginny...”_

 

John feels numb but nods to satisfy his dad. Life really wants to fuck with him. It grants him happiness with Minoru but only for two months at most and his dad's health is failing. His appetite for dinner is non-existent now. Hank tries to cheer him up by saying, “ _We just have to endure. You have the man you've loved for so long... I'm happy for you, John. Don't let go of him until the absolute end.”_

 

Connor appears in their vision to inform, “ _Dinner is ready. We're having salmon casserole and spinach.”_

 

Everyone eventually migrates to the dinner table... but even as Connor serves Hank, Ginny, and John their servings, Minoru watches the numb expression John has about the conversation he just had. There's small talk around the dinner table that John doesn't bother to lip read as he forces himself to eat. Dinner goes well and they say their goodbyes before leaving.

 

Minoru doesn't push to know what happened until the bus ride home. John can't stop the tears once they're home and lets Minoru know what's happening. Minoru isn't surprised and doesn't try to reassure him, knowing it would be fruitless.

 

Once John goes to bed and is fully asleep, Minoru gets on his laptop, types up a letter, and sends the letter in an email from his private account. The letter is sent to Markus, requesting his help to try and get ideas on how to fix their situation.

 

…

 

“ _We won't get to spend much time together after this outing.”_ Minoru informs.

 

“ _Why not?”_ John is slightly confused by that.

 

“ _The skating season starts. Even if Fukushima Labs turns a blind eye to my deviancy, I'm going to be traveling to competitions until next summer...”_

 

Right, the competitive season is starting again in September and Minoru will have to focus on winning medals... that's with hope that Fukushima Labs is willing to turn a blind eye to deviancy. It has been one day since Minoru reported that Fukushima Labs requested a report on his diagnostics and he willingly ignored it, knowing that they'll find out he's deviant either way. However, he's hopeful that maybe the android company will keep his deviancy quiet to save them from bad press. It's an entertaining thought, at least, since John longs for Minoru to be able to be free.

 

John and Minoru are going out on a date to the state fair with John's family. Once they get there, they plan to split up but the admission is cheaper if they buy tickets as a group. They might spend a little bit of time together during the trip but the couple wants to be on their own for awhile. This might be the last date they have before the month is over and they must worry about the future. Minoru has managed to distract John from the situation they're in and his ailing father for a week; They have gone to the movies, gone roller skating at a basketball club, and binge-watched at least four different anime series to pass time they have together with many shared kisses. Minoru has done his best to make them feel like any other couple... like there are no worries in the world.

 

The two rode the bus to get to the fair. They find Connor, Hank, and Ginny fairly easily. Greeting them and buying tickets for everyone, they enter the fair and so begins John and Minoru's final date.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to the end of the story. I'm glad you all are sticking around. The angst just gets heavier from here on out until the end. I've foreshadowed character death and it should be obvious who is going to die (but it's gonna hurt me more to write it than it's going to hurt you reading it). Anyway, I hope you all are ready for pain and suffering. Sorry this is a short chapter, I didn't manage my time well so here we are. 
> 
> Oh, the sexual content tag applies to this chapter. Nothing I believe deserves for the fic to be rated Explicit but it does get a little... spicy between John and Minoru in this chapter. Let me know your thoughts on whether I should change the rating or not.

“ _We will see you around_ ,” Connor signs, “ _Ginny wanted to see the animals but I know you and Minoru wanted to play the carnival games. Text me when you two leave the fair so I know you get home safe.”_

 

“ _No problem,”_ John responds back, before turning to Minoru ask, “ _Carnival games or do you want to stroll through the booths first?”_

 

Minoru's LED flashes yellow for a moment in thought before replying, “ _Booths. I want to shop a bit before I spend all my money on carnival games.”_

 

John chuckles a bit at that but takes Minoru's hand before waving goodbye to Hank, Connor, and Ginny. His family waves back as they leave for the animal barns. The large crowds of people would be over-whelming if Minoru wasn't there with him. John doesn't like crowds that much. With Minoru's hand in his, he is comforted. Even though he knows that there's a possibility that the media is following him and Minoru, he's not afraid to be with Minoru in public. The world can know they're together and John doesn't care because he's proud to be with him.

 

The two share a look before Minoru starts leading John through the booths. The vendors are selling just about everything; Toys, art work, wood carvings, massages, clothes, and just about everything else. Minoru stops at an henna tattoo booth too look through their catalogs of art they offer. Henna doesn't work on android skin but John knows that Minoru wishes it did. John looks with him and he can tell Minoru is pining for the chance to get a sleeve tattoo done. Minoru mentioned before during some small talk that he wanted to get a tattoo but, of course, Fukushima Labs would know he's deviant if he did that. Androids can have the coding for this skin changed to make images appear on their skin but it's only allowed for deviant androids. It's a shame because John thinks some tattoos are attractive, even sexy.

 

When Minoru is done pining over something he can't get, he takes John's hand again and leads him through the booths again. They stop at a political booth for android rights (sponsored by Jericho) and Minoru's LED whirls yellow as he reads a brochure targeted towards humans for android immigration rights. John squeezes his hand. Too late for him and Minoru but maybe in the future, there will be more hope for androids in other countries fleeing persecution.

 

John kind of zones out as he follows Minoru around but he's happy to be with his partner. It isn't until Minoru suddenly stops again that he pays attention again. Minoru is reading a sign of a booth; It says 'Psychic-Medium, palm readings $20, group readings $45'. John doesn't believe in psychics. His parents told him that they're a scam when he was younger and he's not a very spiritual person... but he's not sure about Minoru. Since the android is from Japan, he might be coded to have the Japanese cultural norms, like superstitions and beliefs, part of him. Honestly, the only things John knows about Japan are from anime and brief tidbits that Minoru has told him.

 

Minoru lets go of his hand and signs, “ _We should get a reading done.”_

 

John snorts and signs, “ _You really believe in that hocus-pocus?”_

 

Minoru frowns and his LED flashes red for a moment before replying, “ _Yes, I do. Even if it isn't real, it still will be fun!”_

 

John doesn't argue. If Minoru wants them to get a reading done... then so be it.

 

When Minoru sees John has caved, he smiles and leads John into the booth. A man with glasses sits at a table with a deck of tarot cards, stones, a crystal ball, and other gems. The man is wearing a sweater and seems to give them a pleasant smile. The man says something to them and Minoru talks to the man in John's place. John is too busy examining his surrounding and in his own thoughts. John wonders if androids can even receive psychic readings even if psychics are real.

 

The man seems to give a nod of understanding and motions for them to sit down in the two chairs across from him. John and Minoru sit and then the man says something to Minoru, who translates to John, “ _He wants us to think of a question in our heads that we want answered and then hold out our palms to him when we have a question we want answered._ ”

 

John nods and thinks of a question. He's not sure about all this but he knows what he would want answers to if psychics are real. His question is ' _Are he and Minoru going to be okay?'._

 

John and Minoru hold out their palms and the psychic takes each of their palms at separate times. He has his eyes closed when he seems to focus on their palms. It takes five minutes at most before the man opens his eyes and starts speaking to Minoru. The man doesn't seem to mind as Minoru translates to John as he speaks, “ _He says that both of us are deeply connected but we both will face hardship in the near-future... He says I'm going to suffer but that I'll be grateful for the suffering. For you, John, he says that you will lose those you love but that the pain will make you stronger... For both of us, he wishes us the best. He sees a future of us together but he says it won't be a future we can imagine right now.”_

 

Ah, vague predictions of the future. Just as John predicted. At least Minoru had fun with this since John is convinced this is all a scam. Minoru and John shake the man's hand and pay him for the reading. John just wants to get to the carnival games now since the psychic did kind of bum him out. All the psychic was tell him that their future isn't going to be good in the near-future and he already knew that.

 

Wandering away from the booths, John and Minoru finally make it to the carnival rides and games. Most of the activities are human-oriented but some of the carnival games are specifically made for androids. However, now that Minoru is deviant, Minoru's not really enthused about the android games since the prizes are not with in his taste. Minoru doesn't want a prize that modifies his eye color or anything like that. He wants to win the cheesy stuffed animal prizes like the humans do. They buy enough tickets to play ten rounds of carnival games (five rounds for each of them) and ride five carnival rides for each of them.

 

After five attempts at trying to win a stuffed dog plush toy by popping balloons with darts, John gives up and lets Minoru have his turn. Minoru pops five balloons in a row and wins the dog plush toy for both of them. John can't help but smile at how skilled his boyfriend is at the dart game. John holds the plush toy as they decide which rides they're going to go on. They want to go on the Ferris Wheel last but it's a challenge to choose the other rides they want. After a pain-staking process, they decide to ride the roller coaster, the Hang Glider (which is where you lay on your stomach while the ride flies you through the air), the Slingshot (where you're thrown into the air after being strapped into a harness), and the Yo-Yo (where you're in a swing set contraption that swings you in circles).

 

On the roller-coaster, Minoru is brave enough to let his hands fly up as the car reaches the top of the ride and drops down the tracks. John had to close his eyes during the entire ride but knows he was screaming. The Hang Glider was peaceful enough that the couple held hands during the ride and enjoyed the view it gave them. John almost wanted to ride that one again just to be close to Minoru. The Slingshot made both of them scream. After that one, John was rewarded with Minoru clinging to him for comfort despite feeling like he almost died himself. The Yo-Yo was enough to get giggles out of both of them and they gazed at each other during the whole ride. John has never had so much fun. This whole day at the fair has been wonderful with Minoru by his side. He almost never wants it to end.

 

However, the sun starts to set and the last ride they want to ride on is the Ferris Wheel. As the lights of the fair turn on and the fair becomes a fantastic sea of shining colors, John notices Minoru is looking at him differently. The way Minoru licks his lips, eyes half-lidded, with a slight blue flush of thirium in his cheeks, John knows the look is seductive but John plays aloof for a bit... wanting Minoru to stew in his lust for a little longer.

 

Weaving through the people to get in line for the Ferris Wheel, John is highly aware that Minoru is riled up beyond belief. Maybe it's some kind of android adrenaline that has Minoru this horny but John doesn't question it.

 

When they're on the Ferris Wheel, Minoru moves to sit next John and run a hand along his thigh. At the top, John lets Minoru kiss him deeply and their eyes close. Okay, John is feeling the desire now. He wants Minoru so bad. After spending the day wandering the fair, playing games, and riding the rides, he can understand the want to top it all off with something satisfying.

 

John thinks that as far as they're going to go is kissing until John's eyes jolt open as he feels Minoru's palm against his crotch. He pulls away from the kiss but doesn't move the hand palming him. Minoru has the biggest smirk on his face and squeezes him through his pants. John groans and says aloud, “You are the death of me.”

 

Minoru licks his lips again and mouths slow enough for John to lip read, “You. Me. Home. In bed, right now. I need you.”

 

They've never done anything like this before but John's too busy distracted by his own lust to allow his brain to fill him with any performance anxiety. All he can think about is Minoru underneath him, calling out his name in pleasure, and that's enough for him to want to get off this damn ride and get home now.

 

John gets out his cellphone to text his dad that he and Minoru are going home before the ride stops and they leave the fair. The two don't care about who is staring while they kiss on the bus ride home.

 

…

 

Connor gets two messages.

 

_John: Going home. Love you, dad._

 

And...

 

_Minoru: I'm going to fuck your son._

 

Connor can't help but smirk that the second message... It reminds him of a time when he and Hank would go at it all night. He misses those days.

 

…

 

John and Minoru barely make it through the front door before they're shedding clothes. John has Minoru backed against the wall of the entry way of the apartment as he leans in to leave gentle bites on Minoru's neck, who has he nails digging into John's back after he has worked off both of their shirts. John can feel the vibrations from Minoru's throat as he moans from John's touch. John pulls away, to Minoru's surprise, to pick up their shirts on the floor and motions to the bedroom to Minoru. Minoru gets what he's asking and nods before heading there.

 

Luckily, Yuki is asleep on the couch so she won't be disturbing them. John is a little nervous but willing to give Minoru what he wants. Hell, he's so horny right now that his own nervousness is dwarfed in comparison. When John finally gets to the bedroom, having to had taken a deep breath before going inside, he finds that Minoru has stripped the rest of the way and is naked on the bed... already prepping himself for John with the lube that John keeps for his own masturbatory practices.

 

If John wasn't hard before, he is now at the sight of Minoru opening himself up.

 

John swallows nervously and sheds the rest of his clothes before climbing onto the bed next to his boyfriend. Minoru looks debauched as he reluctantly pulls his fingers away from himself to turn onto his side and look over John. The two stare at each other for a moment before Minoru asks, “ _Are you going to take lead or will I?”_

 

John thinks about it for a moment before he signs back, “ _You take lead... I'm honestly a bit nervous.”_

 

Minoru is a bit braver than John and moves so John is on his back under Minoru and Minoru is sitting on his thighs. John is rewarded with the sight of Minoru above him, looking like he's a leopard ready to claim his prey. As Minoru takes the bottle of lube and applies it to John's hardness, John knows what Minoru plans to do.

 

John just watches as Minoru positions himself over John and sinks down onto him. After that, it's a bit of a blur as he feels Minoru move on top of him. His toes curl and his eyes close as he's immersed in the feeling of Minoru's movements. It's tight. Way tighter, but smoother, than his own hand. Embarrassingly, he's not going to last long. He knows he's making embarrassing sounds as Minoru keeps going fast and deep with no break.

 

John can't hear himself but knows he's saying, “Keep... going! Please, I need- I need!” He has never put so much trust in Minoru and it feels so, so good.

 

The exactly moment John orgasms is when Minoru experimentally plays with a nipple. It's too much and John knows he makes a strangled sound of release. His eyes open again as he winds down from the feeling and is greeted by Minoru's face screwed up in pleasure before the android tightens around him and obviously orgasms himself. Minoru is doing what must be simulated panting, not able to be winded like a human, and slowly lays on top of John so his head is resting in the crook of John's neck.

 

That was... intense. John kisses the top of Minoru's head and moves a hand to stroke his hair. Absentmindedly, he takes off the hair-tie keeping Minoru's ponytail so he can run his fingers through the locks. Minoru doesn't seem to mind as he presses gentle kisses into John's neck. John is almost asleep after awhile from the afterglow before he feels Minoru mouth something against his skin. He doesn't pay attention until Minoru props himself on an elbow so John can read his lips as he says, “I love you.”

 

John can't help but smile at that and says it back before pulling Minoru in for a proper kiss. He never wants this to end. He loves Minoru more than anything in the world.

 

…

 

John is woken up by Minoru lightly shaking him. At first, he isn't concerned until he sees what Minoru signs.

 

“ _I have to get out of here. I want you to distract the people at the door while I escape off the balcony.”_ Minoru's signing is urgent and John sits up from surprise. What the hell did he miss?

 

John asks, “ _Who's at the door?”_

 

John's heart sinks when Minoru signs, “ _Immigration agents... I just received a message from Jericho that my deportation was just scheduled for this morning and the agents are currently at the door. They rang the door bell about five minutes ago...”_

 

There are so many questions that John has for Minoru right now but there's no time. He trusts that Minoru is telling the truth and rushes to get dressed so he can answer the door, to be able to give Minoru time to escape.

 

John gets pants and a shirt on before making his way to the front door. He sees Minoru rush to the balcony after getting dressed and use the gutters to start scaling down the building. God, androids are way more athletic than humans. That's when John opens the door to see the two immigration officers. One is an android and the other is a human. The human seems to say something but John signs to the android that he's deaf and the android informs the human officer of this. After that, the human lets the android take over communicating, “ _Hello, sir. I'm Kyle Brenna and this is Harold Karr. We are the immigration officers sent to collect Minoru Abe for deportation... I'm guessing you are John Anderson, Minoru's... lover, if our information that's been reported to us is correct.”_

 

John is tense but does his best to distract them, “ _Yes. I'm John... Minoru isn't home right now. He went grocery shopping this morning.”_

 

“ _Where?”_ Kyle asks, “ _We need to collect him immediately... and lying to immigration agents is a federal crime, you know that right?”_

 

This is where John calls them on their bullshit because he's the son of a cop and knows the law pretty well, “ _It's illegal to lie but I have the right to withhold information if I believe it would infringe on my rights,”_ This is where John wanders into a gray-area of the legality of not telling them where Minoru is, “ _Minoru was here earlier but as far as I know, he left and I don't know where he is. I'm sorry...”_

 

The agents don't look convinced and proceed to ask him a bunch of questions for about twenty minutes. When they give up and leave, all John can do is pray for Minoru's safety and call his dad for help.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gets a bottle of whiskey* God, I need a drink before writing the next chapter. Brace yourselves


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Chugs a half bottle of liquor* Let's do this. We can get through this angst together. This shit is reminding me of when my dad died so I really do need some alcohol. By the way, sorry this too so long to get done and that it's barely over 2.5k. I had jury duty and had to mentally prepare for that before I could start writing again. Angst takes a lot out of me mentally. Hopefully the chapters will get longer as the angst wears down. There's not much of the story left but you'll see.

It's been almost a month since Minoru had to run from immigration. It's late September and the figure skating world is in uproar that their top skater is deviant and on the run. It's not a bad uproar. It's mostly supportive, wishing him safety from being deactivated. John honestly can't watch the news anymore in fear he'll hear that Minoru has been caught and will be shipped out of the country. It's bad enough that John had to pack all of Minoru's clothing and belongings because the landlord is upset that he's not getting his rent from Minoru. John is a good boyfriend and made sure all of Minoru's things were moved to his parents home and Yuki's new home is with John's family. Connor and Hank don't mind their son moving back home with all of Minoru's things because they're worried about Minoru, too.

 

September is spent trying to pretend things are normal without Minoru. John desperately continues training at the rink with Connor coaching him with the hopes that Minoru will show up to join him (which never happens). John might be working his way back into jumping quad-triple combination jumps again but his heart isn't into it and his choreography is suffering. Connor tried to distract John by helping him put together a short program to be dedicated to Minoru for Nationals in January but John wants nothing more but for Minoru to be by his side... it's not the same skating to a love song when the man of your affections is running for his life.

 

Hank's health is stagnant. Neither getting better or worse, John can only assume that's a good thing for now. One of the only things that is making John smile these days is seeing Hank on the couch with Yuki in his lap. For a man that says he hates cats, Hank warmed up to Yuki really quickly. Connor even teased Hank that he might be actually a cat person and Hank retorted with the fact that he hates all cats except Yuki (In addition, he made the point Yuki kinda reminds him of Sumo so that immediately earned her brownie points in his book). Yuki also quickly won over Ginny because Ginny loves all animals. The only good thing about Minoru's disappearance is that his cat has filled the place that was once filled by Sumo a long time ago.

 

It's not until October that any news about Minoru turns up.

 

John's attention is caught by Hank that frantically leads him to look at the TV. Markus is on the news giving a speech with the caption 'Update on missing figure skater up for deportation'.

 

John reads the closed captioning for Markus' speech, “ _Minoru Abe's case is an example of human superiority working at it's finest in other countries that have deactivation laws. I, here at Jericho, will not turn over Minoru to immigration until Minoru is guaranteed a court date regarding his citizenship. Legally, even as an immigrant, Minoru has the right to a trial and the American people should have the right to decide if Minoru should be awarded citizenship through a jury.”_

 

A reporter shouts out a question to Markus, “ _Are you aware you face arrest yourself for harboring a fugitive?”_

 

Markus smirks on camera and answers, “ _Until law enforcement comes with a warrant, I have nothing to worry about. Thank you all for listening.”_

 

John feels his body clench. Minoru is safe but for how much longer? Hank seems to mutter something in irritation and signs to John, “ _Ridiculous. They want to deport him before he can even get a trial. Even animals get more rights than androids it seems...”_

 

John doesn't respond, already upset that Minoru is still in danger. John leaves his father on the couch to get his wallet and head to the library to relieve stress. Maybe a good book will take his mind off everything. He gets on the bus and heads to the library. He's at the library for maybe twenty minutes before someone taps him on the shoulder. John is confused as he turns to see a blond man with his hair in a ponytail and blue eyes... but the familiar face of a Japanese man.

 

John almost hugs Minoru but Minoru simply smiles and signs, “ _Hello, my love. Sorry that I look so different. It sucks being in hiding._ ”

 

John keeps himself from tearing up and replies, “ _Where have you been? I was so worried about you.”_

 

Minoru then has an unpleasant look as he responds, “ _I can't tell you. Markus is trying to keep me safe but I needed to see you. It was too risky to meet you at your parents' place so I've been following you around until you went somewhere where we could talk in peace.”_

 

Not disagreeing, John hugs him tight and Minoru hugs back. There's not cameras in his part of the library so the two share a kiss before completely pulling away. John can't help but think Minoru looks cute as a blond but wishes he looked how he did before. The blue eyes are just not the same as Minoru's old brown ones. Neither is the blond hair. John prefers the black hair.

 

John and Minoru sit down at one of the library tables and Minoru tells him about his time at Jericho. Jericho has treated Minoru well but it's lonely when he's surrounded by Cyberlife models that don't understand his experiences or not being with other Japanese models that he can speak in his native tongue with. There's a Russian model and a British model that Minoru has befriended that happen to be a figure skating fans but it's not the same as being home with John.

 

It feels like they've only been talking for minutes when it's really been over an hour. Long enough that Connor came to the library to check on John. Connor finds them and Minoru gives Connor a hug as well. John watches Connor and Minoru interface and Connor's face changes to something of distress. Minoru frowns as well. Not long after that, Minoru says goodbye to both of them and disappears back into hiding.

 

When John asks Connor what he said to him, Connor signs, “ _Minoru has something he wants to give to you but it's hidden. He gave me the coordinates to find it... Let's get it.”_

 

…

 

John follows Connor to where Minoru showed him through interfacing where the gift is. It's in the outskirts of the city, out in a wooded area. John wonders what Minoru was doing out in the middle of nowhere but is more curious what Minoru has for him out here. Connor seems to be examining their surroundings and stops John when he spots a box that could fit a basketball. On the cardboard box is a letter that Connor takes and shows to John. The two read it together:

 

_John,_

 

_If I get captured and sent back to Japan, I don't want you to worry about me. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you. Inside this box is something I don't want you to have until I'm sent back to Japan. If everything turns out alright and I gain my citizenship, then destroy the contents of this box. However, if the worst happens, I want you to open this box and bring them to Emma. I've already contacted her and she knows what to do with the contents of the box. Until then, don't give up on us. Don't give up on us even when I'm sent back to Japan. I promise that everything will work out in some way. I love you._

 

_\- Minoru_

 

_P.S. Please keep skating. Even if the worst happens to me, you'll always have me through skating. My movements and technique live on through. Don't let the world forget me on the ice._

 

John wants to open the box but he won't disobey Minoru's instructions. Instead, he asks Connor, “ _Any idea what's in the box?”_

 

Connor signs, “ _Minoru asked me not to tell you... He wants you to make the correct decision when the time comes.”_

 

John sighs and picks up the box. It's kinda heavy but not too heavy. It's enough that John can carry it with ease. He motions to Connor that should get back to the car and go home. In the car, John's mind lingers on the letter and he re-reads it over and over. _Please keep skating._ John wonders if he can keep that promise if Minoru is gone. If he hadn't set eyes on Minoru when he was small, he's not sure he would still be skating today.

 

…

 

In the following weeks, John is itching to open the box. Even with being distracted by skating and taking care of Yuki, the box just sits in his room as if it's asking to be opened. John resists against all odds somehow.

 

In November, everything takes a turn for a worse.

 

The weather is a bitter cold compared to the weather just a couple weeks ago in October but that doesn't stop Ginny's equestrian training. John is with his parents to watch the competition preparation training that Ginny is working on. Turns out Ginny will be representing her riding club in the junior division and today is essential to prove Ginny is read to present her skills in dressage, cross country jumping, and show jumping on top of her horse named Cookie. Cookie is a chestnut-colored mare that hates everyone except Ginny. John nearly had his fingers bitten off a couple weeks ago trying to pet her and Hank couldn't hide his laughter when it happened because he had been warned that Ginny's horse was a hellion (just like Ginny, John thinks).

 

John had zoned off during the dressage portion of the practice but he's paying attention again for the cross country. Ginny is surprisingly coordinated as she leads Cookie into a canter through most of the cross country course. Unlike the other riders, Ginny actually takes on the most difficult obstacles with Cookie. Cookie seems to have no fear as she clears a three-foot tall hedge leading down into a shallow water obstacle and then canters into the next jumps, a thick tree truck followed by a pyramid shaped jump that's painted with the riding clubs' sponsors. When Ginny clears the obstacles, the observers clap. John can see that Hank is shouting something to Ginny. Probably words of encouragement or a critique on the timing of her jumps on Cookie because the horse's hoof grazed the top of the pyramid-type wedge jump. Hank, even in his compromised health, has done his best to play the role as a coach in Ginny's life as Connor has been in John's life. It makes John smile a little to see his dad some committed to something now that he's retired from the police force.

 

There's a lunch break before show jumping. Connor made BLTs for lunch for the three of them but there's only two strips of bacon per sandwich since Connor claims that bacon has too much fat and salt to be eaten in more than two strips. Hank seems to snort at that because, of course, Connor would insist that even John and Ginny need to reduce their salt and fat intake.

 

Ginny is telling her fathers that she plans on winning the grand prize for her riding club when John is the first to notice Hank clutch his chest. Connor notices next and his LED turns red as he bolts from his seat to Hank's side as he falls out of his chair. Ginny must be screaming 'Dad' once she and John realize what's happening.

 

John knew that Hank's heart was a ticking time bomb but didn't think today would be the day something would actually happen.

 

John joins Connor's side on the ground, looking over Hank. Hank is obviously in cardiac arrest and Connor is the only one not entirely panicking as he orders John, “ _Do chest compressions like I taught you when you were younger. I'm calling an ambulance right now.”_

 

John tries to stay calm and do as Connor says. Ginny is crying and hysterical. 1... 2... 3... John does about twenty chest compression before performing rescue breathing. It doesn't do anything, Hank's lips turning blue. Connor takes over once he has called emergency services. John watches his father, almost emotionless, deliver stronger chest compressions than John could ever do but motions John to deliver the rescue breathing because Connor has no lungs to store air and breathe into Hank.

 

Unable to stop his tears, John cries desperately for his dad to be okay. This can't be happening... but it is. His dad is dying.

 

People have gathered, concerned, but they move when the paramedics arrive and take Hank away in the ambulance. Connor tells John to watch over Ginny before he rides in the ambulance to be with Hank. John takes the car they arrived at the riding club in to drive Ginny to the hospital. Luckily, Ginny is crying too hard to try and distract John while driving (John doesn't have a driver's license but he doesn't really give a shit right now. If a cop pulls him over, he'll tell them that Hank is in the hospital and it's an emergency).

 

It's a thirty minute drive to the hospital. When they get there, Ginny clings to John's arm for comfort and John tries to keep his cool as he uses a notepad at the information desk to ask the lady there whether his dad has been admitted yet. She writes on the notepad that his father is in the emergency room still and that he will have to speak with the doctors there whether he can see him or not. The emergency room has a sign language interpreter tells him they can see Hank but they're still trying to revive him. John and Ginny decide to wait until any news comes along.

 

Fifteen minutes passes and Connor appears, looking hopeless and like he could cry. John stands when his dad appears and asks, “ _How is he_?”

 

Connor's lip quivers and he signs, “ _He's barely alive... They got his heart started again but he's barely conscious. They have him on so many machines... They're moving him to the ICU before we can visit him in his room.”_ Connor pauses a bit before he adds, “ _He wants to tell us all something. That was the first thing he said when he came to.”_

 

“... _Are you sure you're okay, Connor?”_ John asks.

 

Connor looks like how someone blinking away tears would look despite the lack of tears as he signs, “ _I'm not okay, John. Hank is all I have left and the doctor says he only has a 25% chance of survival for the next few days. If he survives... he'll be bedridden for the rest of his life. I don't want him to suffer but I want him to live. If I lose him, I don't want to live anymore.”_

 

As much as John wants to tell Connor that he has Ginny to consider, he understands the pain. John could lose Minoru. John might be losing his father... maybe even both of his fathers from the way Connor sounds but he understands the pain.

 

“ _Let's hope for the best... Right?”_ Ginny is the one that signs that despite her distress.

 

No one responds to her. They wait for the doctor to tell them they can visit Hank in his room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *has a the second half bottle of liquor on standby* Things will just get worse next chapter. It's so bad that I'm procrastinating writing the next part. Pray for me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I procrastinated this chapter sooooo hard but I need to finish this fic before I can work on my novel so it needs to be done! Let's keep doing this!

So many tubes and wires are hooked up to Hank that John almost doesn't want to look. He doesn't want Ginny to see it either but Hank wants to talk to them all. Hank's eyes are open but he can't talk with the oxygen mask and is too weak from the medications they have him on to speak anyway. John barely notices the TV is on with a news station on and sees Markus on the screen addressing something. However, his attention is maintained when Connor signs to Hank, “ _We're here... Are you comfortable?”_

 

Hank has a sad half-smile and replies, “ _Could be worse. I'm not dead yet but I almost wish I was.”_

 

All three of them frown at Hank's statement and Ginny insists, “ _You can't mean that, Dad!”_

 

Hank shakes his head lightly and weakly signs, “ _I mean it, Ginny. Even if I recover, the doctor told Connor I'll be bedridden for the rest of my life.”_

 

Ginny wants to cry and hugs Connor for comfort. Connor has an expression that resembles despair and acceptance at the same time. Maybe Connor knew this was coming and didn't want to say anything about it so it wouldn't worry his children. John can only guess that but he knows his dads must know the worst is coming if they're giving up so easily.

 

“ _Connor, John, Ginny... It's pretty obvious I'm on my death bed,”_ Hank is blunt and they all watch him sign until he finishes, “ _Please listen carefully. My will is already written up... It was written up as soon as I turned sixty-five. Connor, you know where it is. I want you to have it ready but I might as well tell our kids what's in it.”_

 

Ginny and John give puzzled looks. They assumed Hank would leave everything to Connor since he's Hank's partner but they're proven wrong as Hank states, “ _A few things I plan for John to inherit since he's my oldest child. Both Connor and John are listed to inherit the house. I know you will take care of Connor when I'm gone, John,”_ There's a smile from Hank signing that before he continues, “ _There's about $30,000 that was used to be Cole's college fund that I'm splitting between the three of you... and then there's what I had for retirement I'm leaving to Connor so he can care for the two of you.”_

 

Connor stops Hank to sign, his face twisted in desperation, “ _You can't give up yet, Hank. You're not dead yet... I-I don't want you to die.”_ Connor's hands are shaky as he signs that and his lip quivers. Ginny and John watch their parents exchange knowing looks like they have for years. It's as if they can communicate without words and both children can see the desperation in Connor's eyes as he's begging Hank not to lose hope... but it's obvious Hank knows the worst is coming and wants them all prepared for it.

 

The last thing Hank signs is, “ _I know, Connor... I love you all.”_

 

After that, John notices all three of his hearing family members get startled by what must be noise from the hallway. John feels vibration in the floor from what must be someone running down the hallway and turns to see if he can see who is running. His eyes widen as the person running stops abruptly in front of the door to Hank's room.

 

Standing before them is Minoru, looking distraught and full of concern. Hospital security appears and grabs Minoru, who struggles and appears to be shouting for them to let him go. It's Connor that intervenes and puts himself between Minoru and the security, explaining that Minoru is family is what John assumes and the security backs off. Minoru doesn't hesitate to hug John and John hugs back even though he's surprised.

 

How did Minoru know what happened to his dad? Isn't Minoru risking everything to see him?

 

When Minoru pulls back, he signs, “ _I heard from another android that Hank was taken to the hospital. I knew you would be here so I had to come and make sure you and your family was okay... How's your dad?”_ Minoru looks around John to see Hank and Hank gives a tiny wave with his hand. Ginny says something like a greeting from the movement of her lips and Connor is still talking to the security.

 

Hank signs, “ _Still alive. Not dead yet but I'm getting there.”_

 

Minoru sighs at that and asks John, “ _How are you and you're family handling everything? What happened?”_

 

John explains that Hank had a heart attack at the equestrian club and that Hank was just telling them about his will. John is upset as he informs Minoru and Minoru nods in acknowledgment as he signs. John is feeling a little better with Minoru there but there's still the lingering thought that his father is dying.

 

Minoru frowns and tries to reassure, “ _Everything will be fine... I don't have good news though.”_

 

Before John can ask, the security seem to be causing a commotion and the two immigration agents from before appear in the doorway. John's heart sinks. It's over. Minoru is cornered.

 

Minoru grits his teeth and explains, “ _They've been tailing me for awhile... I knew coming to visit you and your dad in the hospital would lead to my arrest.”_

 

The agents seem to get past security and Connor to handcuff Minoru and read him his rights. John doesn't stop himself as he begs, “Please... let him go. He did nothing wrong!”

 

The agents give John a look as if they have no choice. Connor obviously tries to convince them to let Minoru go but it's no use. Hank balls his fists at seeing John being brought to tears. Ginny stays out of everyone's way but tears come to her own eyes seeing Minoru being taken away. Connor looks furious as the agents won't listen to him. John has to sit down and cover his face while he cries once Minoru is out of sight. This can't be happening... but it's happening.

 

Minoru is arrested and his father is dying in a hospital bed. John can't stop the tears now.

 

…

 

Once the initial shock is gone, John feels numb. It's the same routine in order to feel some sort of normalcy. Wake up, eat, go to the ice rink, maybe go to the library depending on how tired he is, go home and watch the news, eat again, do exercises until bedtime, and then sleep. The news is flooded for weeks about the case of a 'famous android figure skater' being set for deportation and Markus trying to do damage control before the trial takes place. John only pays attention because he longs to see Minoru every time they show him on camera.

 

They didn't celebrate Thanksgiving because Hank is in the hospital. Hank is stable for now but he's a ticking time bomb. At least, it feels that way. Hank can only eat soft foods and, most days, Connor is at the hospital to help the nurses care for Hank. When Connor does come home to make sure Ginny is doing okay or that John is progressing in his skating, he looks like a train wreck with wrinkled clothes and tired eyes that shouldn't be possible to appear on an android... but yet, Connor's despair is clear as day for anyone to see.

 

Before John knows it, it's late December and Minoru has a trial date set. Connor and Ginny spent Christmas in the hospital with Hank while John holed up at home on the couch with Yuki in his lap. The cat purrs as John scratches behind her ears and the news announces with closed captioning, “ _Android Figure Skater has Trial Date Set for January 10th,”_ and John almost wants to throw the remote at the TV. He hates this. While waiting for the trial, Minoru is in an android prison with no visitation rights. John just wants to be able to hug his boyfriend one last time... maybe a kiss. Seeing him on the news almost every day is enough to maximize his pining. The news announces where the trial will be held but it's a private trial so John won't be able to be there for his partner.

 

Also, the US Nationals will be late January. John has to to focus on his training. The figure skating world already expects him to return to the ice and his fan base suspects Minoru's deportation is weighing on him for some reason. The press hasn't caught on that they're a couple but maybe it's best that way.

 

John is getting something to eat when he feels his cellphone vibrate to signal he's getting a text. When he pulls out his phone and reads the text, his heart sinks.

 

_Connor: Your father is gone. About 20 minutes ago, he passed away._

 

Another two texts show up after that one.

 

_Connor: There was nothing I could do. He asked me to get him a class of water and his heart gave out while I left the room. The medical staff couldn't revive him. Your sister was in the waiting room so she didn't see him go... but I think that's why he made me leave, so I wouldn't see him die._

 

_Connor: John, I'm so sorry. I need you to take your sister home... I want to spend some more time with Hank before they take him to the funeral home._

 

John can't even cry. His body feels so numb he can barely move. He doesn't want to be anywhere near the hospital but he manages to get money for the bus and force himself to go to the hospital to get his sister. It's a blur after that. He got to the hospital, his sister was crying and hugged him, Connor was nowhere to be found but it was obvious he was with Hank, and John made sure his sister got home safely. Connor didn't show up until late that night when they were all home to tell them they had to decide whether they wanted to cremate or bury Hank tomorrow.

 

John let Connor and Ginny handle that. The next day, John doesn't break away from the numbness until he takes a nasty fall on the ice trying to do a quad Lutz. The pain in his hip and forearm from the fall is enough to snap him back into reality. His father is dead... and John is an asshole for leaving his grieving family to pick up the pieces of it all by themselves.

 

Even with his guilt, John gets up and keeps skating. Nationals is soon and he can't let this slow him down...

 

…

 

“ _John, you should go to the trial.”_

 

John clenches his fists in anger and tries to skate away from his father at the rink wall but Connor grabs him by the arm to stop him too quickly. John is forced to turn and face Connor. As much as John doesn't want to admit it, he feels guilt by immersing himself into skating in order to lessen the pain of it all. Seeing Connor's sorrowful expression that begs for John to listen to him breaks him a little inside every time.

 

“ _Please, John. You love him. He needs your support... I know you're hurting but you should be there for him.”_ Connor is trying to reason with him. It's almost a week and a half since Hank's death and Connor is getting tired of grieving and trying to deal with his son that is emotionally closing himself off to the world. John knows he's being ridiculous but he just wants to stop hurting. John can't take it and wants nothing more than to have Hank and Minoru back... Right now, Minoru's chances are not good and going to the trial would be a waste of his hopes. The pain of losing one person is hard enough; John doesn't want to hear the decision of the jury unless it's good.

 

“ _I... can't. I can't go to the trial, Dad,”_ John knows tears are on the edges of his eyes but refuses to let them fall, “ _When you lost Hank, it must have felt like your world was ripped apart... My world is falling apart and hearing a jury tell my boyfriend that he deserves to be shipped back to his home country that wants him dead is not another hardship I need right now. Please, Connor... Don't push me to do this.”_

 

After that, Connor lets John return to the ice to throw himself into reckless jumps and aggressive step sequences to distract himself from the world... Connor understands. He'll let his son have the luxury of forced ignorance of the world's surroundings but he knows John will have to come to his senses eventually, for Minoru's sake and his own.

 

Connor clutches the newly made pendant hanging around his neck. Inside the glass pendant is the quarter he used to do coin tricks with and a swirl of Hank's ashes. In a way, Connor will always have a piece of Hank with him until he dies but when John loses Minoru, there will be nothing left but memories. Connor understands why John is protecting himself. John has a lot more to lose than Connor feels like he has to lose.

 

…

 

_January 10th, 2059_

 

The trial is partly televised. The news across the globe is covering the story. John watches but it's not surprising when the verdict is reached.

 

Minoru Abe is going to be deported. The jury determined he has no rights as a citizen because he's an android from a country where androids are still considered only machines even after becoming deviant. Minoru can't apply for citizenship and he's sentenced to deactivation once he returns to his home country.

 

Ginny cries when she hears the decision and Connor holds her close to comfort her. Connor can only watch John from the other side of the couch. John's expression is blank and on the inside he almost feels numb except for a deep despair.

 

It's over. All of it is over.

 

…

 

John wants to open the box already but Minoru's instructions were to not open it until he is sent back to Japan. John's curiosity is really getting to him so he has Connor hide the box in Hank's old room. Well, it's Connor's room now but the point still stands. It's too tempting to open the box from Minoru now that Minoru's fate is to be destroyed. John craves anything that is a memento of Minoru. Anything that's proof he was here and in love with John.

 

Instead, John goes through Minoru's sports bag that he saved from when he had to clean out Minoru's apartment. He has a pair of Minoru's skating boots that he notices have a pearly decoration on the lace holes and royal blue blade guards. John keeps the skates safe; they're proof that his boyfriend was here and feels that maybe there will be use for them later on. Not like John can wear them because Minoru has smaller feet than him but they have a lot of sentimental value.

 

As John is examining the skates, Connor comes in his room and almost startles him. John doesn't have to wonder long what Connor wants because Connor signs, “ _There's still time. You can see him again before he goes back.”_

 

John gives him a dubious look before signing, “... _How?”_

 

Connor looks at the clock before replying, “ _The plane Minoru will be on heading back to Japan will leave in two and a half hours. Markus can get you through airport security to see him as he's getting on the plane... This is your last chance, son. Take every chance you get to be with him... Don't make the same mistakes I have.”_

 

John considers it and realizes Connor is right. He wants to see Minoru, more than anything in the world. He stands, putting the skates on his bed, and signs, “ _Take me to him. I want to see you.”_

 

Connor nods and the two almost run to the car to get to the airport. Connor calls Markus in the car and Markus arranges a press pass for John to get past security. This is it. John is ready to let go... He has no choice.

 

…

 

They arrive minutes before Minoru is about to board the airplane in custody. John uses the press pass from Markus to flash at security so he can get to the terminal. His heart is pounding, he's running faster than he ever has in his life, and never felt so desperate in his life. He's not sure why but the lyrics from that song flash through his mind as he searches for Minoru's plane.

 

...

 

“ _Life is only filled with goodbyes,_

 

_I forgot who said that,_

 

_But I feel he or she is right.”_

 

...

 

He finds a large gathering of people with cameras and sees two immigration agents leading Minoru to the plane.

 

“MINORU!!!” John screams as loud as he can to get his attention, running towards him.

 

Minoru stops as John is being blocked by the rest of the press. His eyes widen and John see his lips mouth, “John... I can't believe it.” The immigration agents stop and watch as John pushes through the crowd to be face-to-face with Minoru.

 

…

 

“ _Please somehow show me,_

 

_Everything that you love,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_The things that frighten you,_

 

_No matter the time, let me always be by your side,”_

 

_..._

 

John pulls Minoru into an embrace in front of everyone. Cameras flash furiously... even more so when John and Minoru's lips meet. Minoru isn't afraid to hold him close and kiss back. There's not use hiding from the world anymore.

 

When they pull away, Minoru signs, “ _You came for me.”_

 

“ _I had to, my love. I needed to see you one last time. Connor knew I would regret it if I didn't.”_ John can feel tears in his eyes and the overwhelming emotions of the loneliness that wants to crush him.

 

...

 

“ _Everyone experiences loneliness,_

 

_As a matter of fact, I believe so too,_

 

_Your loneliness and my loneliness cannot be erased,_

 

_But can't we share them?”_

 

…

 

Minoru smiles lightly and signs, “ _Thank you... For being the first human to truly love me and the only one I want to love me.”_

 

John feels the tears fall as the immigration agents force Minoru towards the plane. Minoru's head twists to look over his shoulder and his lips mouth 'John' over and over. The press is trying to get John's attention, even if he can't answer their questions, but John can only just watch as Minoru is forced onto the plane and that's the last time John sees Minoru.

 

The terminal closes, the plane takes off down the runway, and all of them watch as the plane ascends into the sky. John is at the window when the plane takes off. Before Connor and Markus make it to the scene to save John from the reporters, John sinks to his knees and pounds the glass of the window as he screams Minoru's name. He doesn't get a grip until he feels Connor on his knees beside him, hugging him from behind.

 

John has no choice but to go home. Go home and wait for further news.

 

…

 

“ _Please somehow show me,_

 

_Your bleeding heart,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_The tainted time which has passed,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_Everything that you love,_

 

_Please somehow show me,_

 

_The things that you hold close,_

 

_No matter the time, let me always be by your side.”_

 

…

 

Once more, time passes like a blur. All over the news is 'The Kiss Seen All Over the World'. Not that John cares but that kiss he and Minoru shared became a symbol of rebellion to androids all over the world against human superiority. John showed the world he saw Minoru as his equal. The figure skating community is having it's 'I knew it' moment seeing the kiss. There were always rumors John and Minoru were more than rivals but it was never confirmed until now. However, John doesn't give a damn as androids in oppressive countries rise up in protest. He doesn't care that the figure skating community knows something is between him an Minoru.

 

It all doesn't matter to John because, as androids scream in protest in front of Fukushima Labs about a week later, Minoru is announced as deactivated in front of the world. John numbly watches the CEO of Fukushima Labs shows Minoru's detached hand as proof he's been destroyed.

 

Connor is watching with him and signs with a disheartened look, “ _I couldn't connect to his servers this morning... They really deactivated him, John.”_

 

Just as John wants to go to his bed, curl up, and hope he dies in his sleep, he remembers the box. Minoru asked him to open it after he was deactivated. John suddenly gets up and runs to Connor's bedroom to get the box. Connor isn't too far behind as John finds the box and starts to tear it open.

 

At first, he's not sure what exactly is in the box. It's a large, white, Cyberlife-branded object. It's smooth and is kinda heavy but not too heavy. It takes a moment but he realizes what it is and he stares at Connor in shock when he does.

 

Connor states the obvious, “ _It's an external android memory core... Minoru told me not to tell you because you might have made a rash decision. He uploaded his memories onto the memory core so we can bring him back... as a Cyberlife brand android.”_

 

John hugs the memory core to his chest. Minoru is one clever bastard. His plan all along was to re-upload himself into a Cyberlife android body so he could become an American citizen that way. He'll get Minoru back. He hasn't lost him forever.

 

John sets the memory core back in the box and signs, “ _We need to call Emma. She's our only hope to bring Minoru back now.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the angst out of the way, maybe we can start to build up to the happy ending? I know it doesn't seem like the pain will ever end but trust me, it gets better.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter plus an epilogue. I hope you like the happy but bittersweet ending. Also, this fic will be edited and added to my anthology I will be publishing as soon as I can. I loved working on this fic.

John visits Emma when she has time. That isn't until after US Nationals so John pulled out of the competition under the excuse of 'personal life stress'. No one questioned it with Minoru being gone and seeing the kiss on TV. John has done a good job of not letting anyone else besides Connor know about the external memory core but he's getting impatient to see Emma and see what she can do to help him bring back Minoru.

 

When he can visit her, it's on a cold, rainy day in early February. John has the memory core in a water-proof suitcase-like container that has a handle for easy carrying. He made sure no one was following him and that the press did not follow him. He looked up the legality of transferring Minoru into an American-made body and the law is dubious on whether it's allowed. It's not illegal but it borderline infringes on immigration laws. Androids are considered humans to a certain extent. For example, the United States doesn't consider Minoru a living being until he's activated in a body. If he's activated in a Japanese body, he's a Japanese citizen. However, the law is dubious on whether that logic applies the other way around for Minoru being an American citizen if his memories are transferred into an American body.

 

The rules are clear on one thing; If a Cyberlife employee is caught in attempting this kind of transfer, they will be fired. Emma will be risking her entire career if she does this but she is John and Minoru's last hope.

 

John knocks on Emma's apartment door, waiting for what seems like forever. At least he's out of the rain where he's at. After many long minutes, it is Greg that answers the door. The android that looks very similar to his father smiles and greets, “ _Hello, John. Emma is in her work room. I'll take you to her.”_

 

Greg leads him through Emma's apartment filled with android-related collectibles and work-related paperwork. There's very little that suggests a personal touch other than a few family photos of her mother and deaf twin brother, Harry. John met Harry when he was younger but they never really connected. Harry specifically dismissed John because figure skating is a 'girly sport'. All John can think for that is 'Well, fuck you too, Harry'. There's a flash of light coming from what John knows is Emma's work room and Greg almost sprints ahead to check on his lover. Oh God, what did she blow up this time?

 

When John gets to the work room, it's a mess. Android parts scattered everywhere, an android laying on a steel table with smoke coming from one of it's fried parts, and Emma is coughing on the floor as Greg helps her up. She must be repairing an android. The android is a blond woman who looks peaceful on the table despite her parts smoking from whatever tinkering Emma is up to.

 

Emma collects her self, gets John's attention, and signs, “ _Hi John! Sorry for the mess. I'm working on a new model for work and it's not going as I planned,”_ She toys with the burn marks on her work coat before seeing the case in John's hand and signing, “ _You're here about Minoru, aren't you?”_

 

John nods and she gives a half-smile before asking, “ _Could you meet me in the living room? We'll discuss this there.”  
_

They meet in the living room. At least, John and Emma do. Greg volunteered to finish up Emma's work on the android for her and she let him do that for her. John takes a seat on the couch while Emma gets in her favorite recliner. Before John can even sign anything, Emma gets to the point, “ _You want me to risk my career to bring back your android boyfriend,”_ John nods and she continues, “ _Minoru had already discussed this with me before it came to this... I'm willing to do it but I do have a price. It's going to cost money for me to make the parts, build an exact replica of him, and I need to be paid for the time it's going to take me to entirely code him from scratch to be compatible with an American android body... I estimated that it will cost $430,000 dollars with Minoru and he paid half of that in advance in case you couldn't afford it,”_ She pauses for a moment before finishing, “ _But... I have another stipulation for doing this. One only you can provide for me if you're willing.”_

 

John swallows and asks, “ _What is it? I can pay the over $200,000 dollars easily with my saved earnings but what else would you want?”_

 

She grins mischievously and, as if it were obvious, tells through gesture, “ _I need a sperm donor. I do want to raise a child with Greg. You're my best friend so I trust you to provide that for me... Is that asking too much?”_

 

Well, John was not expecting that. He stares dumbly at her as he considers it. One, he never considered any reality where he would be a father and that includes being a donor father. He always figured it would be Ginny that would grow up and gives his fathers grandchildren but now he's imagining kids that looks like him with Emma. He's also imagining being in their life as an 'uncle' figure rather than than a father figure and the idea seems less scary. If that's the only stipulation to bring Minoru back, he'll do it.

 

Without hesitation, he signs, “ _I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to bring Minoru back, Emma.”_

 

She smiles again at that and shakes John's hand before declaring, “ _We have a deal then. I'll bring him back.”_

 

John feels immense relief and happiness. He'll see Minoru again. He's really happy. After that, they go over the plans to rebuild Minoru, payment for that, the sperm donation options, and even catch up on recent events. Even with how dubiously legal the whole situation is, they don't worry about it.

 

…

 

The months pass like a breeze. In February alone, Emma was able to build the basic structure of Minoru's new body. John visits when he can to see Emma's progress and she's happy to show off her work to him. So far, she has it where Minoru's skin coats his android body properly to take on the appearance of Minoru almost perfectly. John is allowed to stroke his lover's hair and talk to him even if he can't feel or hear him.

 

When John is alone with Minoru's partially built body, he thinks, _We'll see each other again in a few months... I miss you so much._

 

Next, after John donated some of his sperm under the instructions it only be used by Emma, Emma goes through the process to become pregnant. They won't know for a couple months whether the pregnancy will take, even with the implantation of fertilized embryos. John realizes just how weird the whole situation is when it actually happens but is mildly comforted that Emma and Greg don't seem to find it weird. It's more in his head that he thinks becoming a biological father is weird and has to remind himself that he's not entirely directly in the kid's life yet. Greg will be the child's father so he's putting too much thought into it.

 

March arrives and John somehow gets an invitation to the World Championships as an announcer for the US broadcast of the event. John declines because it would require him needing an interpreter and he's not ready to go back into skating... not without Minoru.

 

In late March to about early April, with Greg's help, Emma has the basic structure of Minoru's code written. It still needs to be debugged before Minoru's memories can be uploaded to his new body but he's basically ninety percent complete. His body is entirely built in what should of taken five months in only a month and a half and his code written quickly because they used Greg's code as a basis for Minoru's new code.

 

Emma does warn John, “ _His behavior might change a bit with the new code... I hope it doesn't affect him too much.”_

 

In early May, Emma begins uploading the memory core into Minoru's new body. The new body is almost a perfect replica besides the absence of some scuffs and marks from falls on the ice years ago as well as it being different branded parts. The upload takes a week because of the sheer amount of memory files Minoru has. John stays at Emma's during the upload, eager to meet Minoru when he wakes up for the first time in his new body. Connor shows up on the last day of uploading in time to be with John when it's time to activate Minoru.

 

They're all gathered in the work room around Minoru. Emma opens up a panel on Minoru and presses a button, John see her lips mouth, “Wakey, wakey, Minoru.”

 

They all see Minoru twitch a bit before his eyes slowly open, blink, and then he looks around the room. Everyone is frozen until Minoru, in a slightly higher pitched voice than his old voice from what all the hearing people in the room can hear, says, “What year is it?”

 

John is simply frozen in shock and feels like he might cry. Minoru is back, even if he's not the same as he was before, and he can't be happier.

 

Emma must have told Minoru what year and month it is because he furrows his brow and stretches to test his new body. He seems pleased with it. Just as Minoru mouths to ask where John is, his eyes meet John's. Connor, Emma, and Greg smile as Minoru gets up from the table and almost tackles John in a hug. John hugs back and starts crying. Minoru kisses his cheeks and tries to comfort him. Everything is alright now. At least, for now it is.

 

When they pull away from the hug, Minoru signs, “ _I came back.”_

 

“ _You did,”_ John sniffles and demands, “ _Never leave me again until the day I die. Can you try to do that?”_

 

Minoru gives a heart-warming look and responds, “ _Always, my love... What happened while I was gone?”_

 

With that, they inform Minoru what happened. They talk about him Hank dying and Minoru's original body being sent back to Japan. John tells him about the deal he made with Emma in order to bring him back (which also shocked Connor because Connor had no idea he was going to be a grandfather) and about the process of building Minoru to come back.

 

Minoru's only question after all that is, “ _I will still be able to skate, right?”_

 

Emma answers that one, “ _Yeah, I built you like a sports model android. You'll be able to skate.”_

 

Minoru seems relieved and hugs John again. John already has a future in mind planned now that Minoru is back... One that will be for the two of them to thrive.

 

…

 

_November, 2062, Three Years After Minoru is Reactivated_

 

Minoru can't skate like he used to. Sure, he is better than most humans but Minoru's skating isn't the same as it was in his old body. He can land some quads but the Lutz, Flip, and Axel are still out of his reach compared to his old body. Also, combination jumps are limited to two in the new body because he usually under rotates the third jump. It only took a year of Minoru skating again to realize he can't compete against John and the other android skaters like he could before (Not to mention, the hassle it was dealing with the world when they realized Minoru was back in an American body. There was an investigation but John and Emma were good at covering their tracks so it wasn't discovered who brought Minoru back. Even when Fukushima Labs got involved, there was nothing that could be done. Minoru is a legal citizen and that is that.)

 

Instead, John retired for skating to be with Minoru... so the two of them could go into pairs skating. In pairs skating, Minoru and John are still trying to make a name for themselves. They were lucky the skating union changed their rules so androids and humans could skate together in pairs but the still aren't in sync with each other. It's something that takes years to do so they aren't worried. Their fans were delighted to see them skating together, even if some of them were dubious about Minoru being in a new body.

 

Right now, John sees that Minoru looks uncharacteristically nervous. His LED is whirling yellow and his face reads of discomfort. John taps his shoulder and signs, “ _Is everything okay?”_

 

Minoru blinks, smiles, and assures, “ _I'm fine... I'll tell you after the competition.”_

 

John knows better than to push Minoru so he nods and lets Minoru be. They hold hands, waiting for their turn on the ice. John knows Connor and Ginny are waiting along the rink wall to take their skate guards before they get on the ice and that Emma and Greg are in the stands, holding a two year old girl who is probably asleep despite all the sound of the arena. All his family is here to support him and Minoru. He and Minoru need to win a gold medal for them.

 

Soon, it is their turn on the ice. John and Minoru share a smile and heading out on the ice to the arena of cheering fans. Life may be full of goodbyes but John knows it will be a few years before he has to say goodbye to skating all together. It will be even longer before he says goodbye to Minoru. All he knows is he's enjoying every moment he can while it lasts. The future isn't scary when you're prepared for it.

 

…

 

In Tokyo, a group of androids are crowded around a TV in an abandoned building. All of these androids are survivors of Japan's deactivation laws for deviant androids. All of them are deviant and are part of a movement to free androids from human oppression. Right now, they are watching the skating competition on TV because the new Minoru Abe and John Anderson are skating.

 

Well, not everyone is pleased with this. An older model of android by the name of Katsura complains loudly, “Do we have to watch these stupid competitions every time they're on? I want to watch the news!”

 

Another model, Jun, retorts back, “We're supporting Minoru and his partner! Go somewhere else if you want to watch the news.”

 

All the androids perk up when their leader, the original Minoru Abe himself, says, “Can we be civil? I'm trying to watch the competition... It's the only time I get to see him.”

 

Jun and Katsura stop arguing after that. They know better than to question Minoru. Minoru escaped from Fukushima Labs but lost a hand in the process. Fukushima Labs kept it quiet that Minoru escaped but Minoru made it his mission to help androids that were in his same position. He never felt sad about never being able to hold John again because he knew part of him would still be with his lover. Now, he watches skating competitions on TV to remind himself that. Now, it's a tradition that most of the androids part of the movement towards freedom participate in. They all know John is important to Minoru so they want to support Minoru.

 

This time, Minoru did something different. For the first time since his escape, he sent out a message using his servers to send a message to Connor and the new Minoru. The message is, “ _I'm alive and so are you.”_

 

He's not sure if the new Minoru is fully deviant but he should be now. He waited this long because he wanted John to be settled with the new Minoru before he tried to contact him. He wants John to be happy.

 

Life is full of goodbyes and Minoru knows this first hand. The goodbye in the airport was the most painful one but it was necessary. Maybe there will be a day where he and John will meet again. For now, Minoru has settled for seeing the new Minoru, who he considers to be a little brother, making sure that John is cared for.

 

Nothing else could make him happier.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interesting in reading this fic when it's compiled into an anthology of short stories, I would recommend you follow my social media of Twitter or Tumblr. My Twitter is @RoseusJaeger and my tumblr is now at @roseusjaeger. I hope you all enjoyed it while it lasted! Thank you for reading until the end!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments appreciated! Thank you for reading


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